True Desires
by NintendoGal55
Summary: AU. Jack, the future King, is arranged to marry Dr. Finkelstein's daughter, Marina. However, upon meeting her "sister" Sally, a rag doll, the two of them soon fall in love. Tough decisions are to be made, to choose between love or legacy.
1. Prologue

**Okay, so I know this kind of story has been done a million times. The combo of **_**Cinderella**_** and **_**Romeo & Juliet**_**. And it's no surprise that our loving pair Jack and Sally will get this treatment. I'm sure there are probably other fanfics of the same vein...so I do apologize for that, too. XD**

**But none the less, one thing I will NOT do is have the "other woman" being a bitch. She won't try to steal Jack or stop Sally, not at all! This time, we'll have a sympathetic character. :)**

**So the story is that Jack is set to marry the Finkelstein heiress, named Marina. However, when he meets Sally, who is a rag doll created by Dr. Lord Finkelstein to serve as a maid and second child, the two take an immediate liking to each other, and eventually fall in love. Problems do arise with that, and it leads them to making tough decisions.**

**There will be cameos from a certain character from **_**Corpse Bride**_**. Who? Bonejangles! :D He'll be Jack's cousin. ;) And Barkis will make a couple of appearances...rotten scumbag!**

**TNBC and Characters belong to the ever-awesome Tim Burton, with credit to director Henry Selick, as well. CB belongs to Tim Burton, of course.**

**Marina and other original characters, such as Jack's parents, belong to me.**

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><p>The Kingdom of the Undead. A place within the depths of the Underworld, where souls and beings of the undead roamed. To most, it is a desolate place of horrid afterlife...and yet, if you really looked, you would see that it was a society much yours and mine. Who are we to say it's not beautiful? To them, it is paradise.<p>

Ruling this place, was none other than a King by the name of Frederick Skellington, a skeleton man. Alongside him was his Queen, Patricia, a skeletal woman. The land had been ruled by them for many years, and had always been revered as wondrous rulers. Kind, wise, and giving. There was not a soul in the Kingdom who didn't find them to be the rulers they'd always hoped to have.

The heir to this throne, is their son, named Jack. He is the Pumpkin Prince, next in line to the Pumpkin King. Despite being young, fairly naive and very, very curious and quite childlike, Jack had continuously displayed leadership skills that were quite formidable. He too, like his parents, is kind and wise to a point, and never treated any of the townsfolk like they were below him. They had always been considered equals. Jack saw himself as their future protector, and a friend, not some power-hungry dictator. Just as his parents did. The Kingdom loved him as well, most especially the women. Very much a charming, suave, and very kind gentleman, it was no wonder that Jack was considered a ladies skeleton man.

He was very tall, taller than many of the denizens of the Kingdom, and even close to towering his own father. His skull was round, with large, empty eye sockets that were just as vivid and expressive as can be. He had a very long mouth that nearly circumferenced his entire head, and was perfect for adding distortion to his face in order to create a scary, menacing expression. On a usual basis, he often wore a dapper black and white pinstriped suit, a white shirt beneath it, and a bat bowtie.

On this particular fine, horrible day, Jack was sitting outside in the garden of Skellington Manor as he enjoyed the cloudy, overcast day. The breeze blew, with the dead leaves blowing and crisping around, creating something of a natural melody and dance. He smiled. This kind of day was just perfect here in the Kingdom of the Undead.

"Master Jack." Said the butler, named Marcus, as he approached where the Prince sat. Marcus was a Frankstein-esque being, wearing an equally dapper suit and a napkin draped over one arm. "I do hate to interrupt you in your relaxation, but your parents wish to summon you to your father's office."

A soft sigh escaped Jack as he nodded. "All right. Thank you for telling me, Marcus. I'll be there in a minute. ...And please, just call me Jack. You know that." He smiled pleasantly as he stood up.

Marcus smiled, chuckling. "I'm sorry, sir. Old habits die hard, I suppose."

Jack stood up, and followed after the butler to get back inside. He knew where his father's office was, he knew the whole mansion by heart. But, he followed him anyway to humour him.

Skellington Manor was a huge, three-story gothic mansion standing upon the hill in the town. It was located near the graveyard, and the famed curving, crescent hill known as Spiral Hill. It was where the Royal family resided for generations since the beginning, obviously, for it truly was the heart of the Kingdom of the Undead. A huge tower arose from the front, the windows were arched and shaped very much like something out of an old horror movie, the bricks and stones were dark, dismal gray shades. Truly any monster's most wonderful nightmare.

Marcus opened the door to his father's office, which Jack entered. The mansion didn't have a throne room per say, his father's office was also adjacent to a meeting room, where council meetings and other such things took palce.

"Thank you, Marcus." Jack said to the butler, before approaching his father's desk. "You wanted to see me, Father?"

King Frederick nodded, and looked to his wife, who stood behind his chair, with her hand on his shoulder. "I did, son. This may come as something of a surprise to you, but we know now that it must be done. Jack...you are our only son, and the heir to the throne. It's a lot of pressure to put on you, and we don't wish to make your life any harder than it should be."

"However, things must be done for the good of the Kingdom." Patricia said softly. Unlike her husband and son, her head was more of an oval shape, and she wore a blonde wig of hair in delicate waves and curls. Her eye sockets were smaller, shapely, but still expressive. "And we know in our hearts that you will rule the Kingdom as well as we have, and your ancestors before you."

Jack gave a little nod. "I understand, Mother. I will do what I can to take your places well, I promise."

Frederick smiled. "I never doubted that, son. However, this next bit will not be easy for you. And we understand that. Every King needs a Queen. Before you are to be crowned King, you are to marry."

This made Jack's jaw drop.

"We have found an elligible wife for you. Probably one of the best in the Kingdom. The heiress of the Finkelsteins, Marina."

Now Jack was taken aback. Despite that, he knew this was coming. He was told since he was young that one day he would have to marry woman before taking his place as King. And likely, that woman was to be someone he never met.

He had _heard_ of Marina, since she was widely known around the public school she went to and some other places around town where she achieved many great honours. But he had never once met her.

"We're meeting the Finkelstein family tomorrow." Patricia told him. "The wedding itself will take place in about six months. We figure that it is only fair for you two to get to know each other beforehand."

Frederick gave a nod of agreement. "I concur. So that is why we've arranged to meet with the family and get to know one another over the course of the six months."

As much as he didn't want an arranged marriage, Jack did feel grateful for his parents actually having him and his future wife meet each other and get acquainted before all the big stuff happened.

"...I understand, Mother, Father." Jack said softly. He looked at them with a small smile.

"Son, we know this is hard for you." Frederick said, looking at his son with a comforting smile. "I know...you aspire to marry for love, and believe me, I had the same ideals myself before I became King."

"As you do know by now, we were also arranged to be married." Patricia said, smiling toward her husband. "Neither of us liked the idea of an arranged marriage, let alone marrying someone we never met before. But, we were given the chance to get acquainted for a few months before marrying. By a miracle, we actually fell in love." She squeezed her husband's bony shoulder.

Frederick nodded, patting his wife's hand. "Even if you don't fall in love, son, we just how you and Marina will get along, and at least be happy with one another. She has been said to be a very nice girl."

Jack exhaled and gave a nod. Maybe he and Marina could be content and happy with each other's presence, even if they weren't in love. That would surely work and make things easier, but it still made him wish that he would marry for love. But, he had to think of what was best for the Kingdom and not just himself.

"I'm sure you're right." He murmured, and looked out the window for a moment.

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><p>We now go to the Finkelstein household.<p>

Dr. Lord Finkelstein was a nobleman of upper class society, and also a brilliant scientist. Many health remedies, physical living creations, and other such experiments were made by his hands, and he was quite acclaimed for it. He had a wife, who he had created long ago, named Jewel. She was on the town council, and sometimes worked as his secretary.

The two had a daughter of their own, biologically (though with many DNA modifications), named Marina. Unlike her parents, she was actually quite a hauntingly beautiful woman. Her skin was very pale blue, her eyes were silvery gray, and she had long, wavy curly sea-green hair.

Marina was also a very gifted overachiever. She was immensely intelligent, creative, logical, athletic, and diligent. She accomplished many things in school, and other such events outside of school. High grades, winning contests, winning sports games, and had many, many trophies to show for. She had many friends, with her bright and sunny personality, as well as being very charitable. She volunteered helping others in need, performed for sick denizens, and played games with children, as well as tutoring them.

Now Marina was set and arranged to marry the Prince of the kingdom. She truly was the envy of many girls her age or younger in the kingdom.

The envy, though not completely, also lay within the household's little secret. Or rather, something not exposed very much.

Not many knew this, of course. There came a time when Dr. Lord and Lady Finkelstein could not conceive another child. To remedy the situation, Dr. Finkelstein created a new child for them. However, nothing seemed to go as planned for this idea. He created a rag doll. A living, anthropomorphic rag doll, which he called Sally.

Her skin was made of very pale blue material, and crudely stitched all along her body and head. She was stuffed with leaves, which was odd, but it seemed to work. She was given big, round, expressive eyes, long eyelashes and midnight red lips. Her clothing consisted of a simple patchwork dress, made with different fabrics and materials, with none of them matching at all. Her hair was long, and made of soft, fine yarn that really did come to resemble actual hair, and was a shade of rusted red.

Sally was created to be yet another perfect child, though a rag doll. But unfortunately, this was not to be.

In the first couple of months, she was practically a robot. Obeying orders, not questioning anything, and just doing what she was told and went to where she was told to go. She was created, programmed to be that way.

But then came a defect.

Sally eventually grew to have a personality, to be a person of her own. Which proved to make her much different from Marina. She wasn't an exact opposite, but she wasn't like her. She was kind and sweet, just like Marina, but she was shy, soft-spoken, and not exceedingly talented. She could cook, quite nicely, and she was able to sew. Of course, this was a skill she had been created to have so that she could repair herself if needed. Sewing was by far her strongest talent. But overall, she wasn't just the "perfect child" she was created to be. She was Sally. A complete person of her own.

She even questioned things, and while she was far from disobedient or rebellious, she was still not quite all that pleasant when you had her do things. If anything, she was distressed. It wasn't the chores themselves she didn't like, and it also wasn't the idea of contributing to the household. She was fine with that.

The problem lay in how the family, aside from Marina, treated her. When she grew her personality and became to be known to be like a regular person, this was when Dr. Finkelstein nipped this in the bud. She was no longer considered their second child, but a convenience. A servant, a maid and caretaker to the household. Since she was efficient in doing chores, they made use of her.

Originally, he had wanted to take her apart and end her life. But Marina begged him not to. She liked Sally, and considered her as a little sister. So with compromises, Sally was not destroyed. But she was confined to the house, and often sent to her room when guests were over. Anyone who visited that met her, the Finkelsteins just referred to her as their live-in maid.

Sally was smart, though. She read books, both scientific and fictional, and was very curious of the world, but she was not like Marina at all. This disappointed the Finkelsteins very much.

She envied Marina very much, but not in the way you may think. She didn't want popularity to to have a room full of trophies in her name. What Sally wanted, more than anything, was acceptance. To be a part of the household as a family, and be able to venture in and out at her leisure. She just wanted her family to love her. Marina appreciated her very much, and she was glad for this, of course.

None the less, Sally did what she could to get through her days. Her books and stories, as well as a cute little pet dove that Marina had given her, were her only escapes. She could never leave the house, and was often very bored when she had nothing to do.

She just hoped, one day, to be able to venture out there, and to be accepted as a real person, and not just a piece of convenience.

So on this lovely day, Sally was in her room, having completed the morning's chores, working one some cross-stitching. All the while, her gaze sometimes drifted to stare out her barred window, admiring the scenery of the backyard, the sky, and the other homes all around that she could see. She did this a lot, either reading or sewing by the window during her spare time. Another day, another day of being denied to go out.

Marina had tried to hep before, but even her efforts were fruitless. Anytime Sally asked one of her "parents", or rather, creators, they always denied her. Even when they were in a good mood. Nothing Sally did was any good. She was just never allowed out of the house. She felt like a prisoner in her own home, and longed for an escape.

But today, was just the start of the crazy turn her life would take. Her perception of reality was soon to change.

It all began when Marina came into her room that day, with some surprising news.

"Sally...!" Marina gasped, and closed the door behind her. "Sally, you won't believe this. But I...I'm going to be married!" She looked distraught at this.

Sally's eyes widened. "...You are? To who?"

"...It won't be Spencer." Marina sighed.

Spencer was Marina's secret lover. He was half skeleton, half human, considering how his dead body was very much half in half. But he was a kind and generous man, also a bartender at the local favourite bar in town. They had been seeing each other for two years now, and only Sally knew about the affair, since Dr. Finkelstein and Jewel would not put up with it.

"Then who?" Sally asked gently.

"...The Prince of the Kingdom. It was arranged now that I be married to the Prince and become the Queen. They all feel...that I am the most eligible woman for it, considering...my accomplishments." Marina sighed, shaking her head. "I don't even _know_ him! I've heard he was very nice and all the ladies love him, but...I'm in love with Spencer."

The Prince of the Kingdom, Jack. Sally had obviously never met him, either. But she too had heard stories, and was quite curious. Especially since she had never been to any of the Halloween celebrations. She could not believe that Marina of all people was going to be married to him one day. On one hand, it was almost to be expected considering Marina's reputation and accomplishments, but to actually see it come to fruition? That in itself was something astounding.

Marina wasn't even _thrilled_. Sally understood why, and knew that it wasn't because she was an ungrateful, spoiled brat who didn't get her way. It just simply wasn't what she wanted, and she didn't want to settle for a loveless marriage. That was perfectly understandable. She would never wish a loveless marriage on anyone. She was simply in love with someone else and didn't want to marry someone she didn't want to be with, even for the sake of family.

However, Sally knew that Marina had no other choice. Unless she wanted to bring up her secret affair with Spencer, she would have to go through with it. That was already a tough dilemma to begin with.

As much as she envied Marina for having the acceptance and love she desired, she did still feel bad for her.

"Oh, but Sally...maybe this can be good." Marina said, taking her sister's tiny hands. "Maybe I can _finally_ take you away from here, and let you live in the mansion with us. You can be free! Do what you want and make lovely clothes all you like and not have to worry about being a maid."

Sally's eyes widened. "Marina, I-"

"No! Not another word. And I think, if Jack is really as nice as he's said to be, he'll welcome it! Who knows, you two could be good friends! Wouldn't you like that? To have a nice friend?"

Sally couldn't exactly deny that. Aside from Marina, Sally really had no friends at all. She rarely ever met anyone, even when guests were introduced to her, and could not consider anyone a friend.

"I don't want to be a freeloading burden if that happens, Marina..." Sally protested yet again.

"Then we'll have you utilize your talents! You can have the job as the Royal Seamstress! With your amazing sewing skills, you'd be perfect for the job!" Marina smiled brightly, liking this idea she had all the more. "So what do you think? How about it?"

"Well...perhaps if it would work out." Sally managed.

"YAY!" Marina squealed. "OH! And I forgot to tell you the best part! Mom and Dad are taking me AND you to visit the mansion tomorrow, we're going to meet the future in-laws! We'll be staying there for a few days."

Sally's eyes went really wide. "You...and I?"

"Yep! I convinced Mom and Dad to let you come along! I don't care what he says, you are my sister." Marina said firmly, but happily. "But of course I had to throw in the old servant thing, you know, saying that you'd be helping us with our things and stuff... So he agreed to it." She rolled her eyes. "But don't you worry, you are going to be introduced as my sister, and I will show the Skellington family just how nice and sweet you are!" She smirked a bit then. "You know, if it weren't for me getting married to him, I'd definitely set you and Jack up..."

"Marina!" Sally cried, blushing. "D-Don't say things like that..."

"You're no fun." Marina pouted, but giggled. "All right, all right. No more teasing. But you are going to come with us tomorrow!"

Sally gave her "sister" a nervous, but grateful smile. Maybe this would be embarrassing and very nerve-wracking...but at least she would have a chance to FINALLY get out of the house! She was very much looking forward to do that. Then to meet some new people? That made her nervous, but, she was more than willing to reach out and try to be nice to the future in-laws. Especially since they were the royal family of the kingdom.

"Marina...thank you very much for this...this opportunity."

"Awwww! You're welcome, Sally! I'm just glad you're finally going to get out and meet some new people! I promise you, this is going to be great for you, too!" Marina smiled and hugged the rag doll.

Little did Sally realize yet again, that tomorrow was going to change her undead life forever.


	2. Meet The Family

**All right! So here we are! **

**Okay, so I know I didn't bring in Dr. Finkelstein or Jewel in the previous chapter, but that wasn't out of malicious intent. The chapter just felt more complete by the time I finished it. So don't worry, this is where they come forth!**

**Not much else to say, but enjoy the story! :)**

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><p>Later in the morning the following day, was when the Finkelsteins arrived at Skellington Manor. They arrived by the royal carriage that was sent to pick them up that morning, and took them across town to the mansion. Sally was even allowed to ride in with them, despite that it was obvious Dr. Finkelstein wanted to set her in the back wagon with the luggage. But even Jewel said that since they were arriving as a family, it was only appropriate, upon Marina's insistence that Sally ride with them.<p>

"We've arrived!" Said the driver.

"Good. Now Sally!" Dr. Lord Finkelstein said sternly to Sally. "You are not to step out of line. Do not speak unless spoken to, address the royals by status and not by name, do not wander off, and do not draw attention to yourself. This is about Marina! Understood?"

Sally nodded meekly. "Yes, Doctor."

"Daddy, don't be so harsh!" Marina complained. "Sally has every right to be here, and I want her to have a nice time here, not be dragged around! Come on, I want the royals to meet her too. She deserves to be heard!"

Dr. Finkelstein grumbled to himself, shaking his metallic head. "Marina, still your tongue and remember what this is about. Never mind our wretched maid."

Marina glared at him, and then opened the door, stepping out of the carriage before the footman could help her. She helped Sally out as well, making sure she wouldn't stumble or fall. Jewel was led out next. The footman brought around Dr. Lord Finkelstein's electric wheelchair, and made sure he was brought onto it safely. Jewel took the handles on the back to push him, while Marina followed along Sally, who had to carry the luggage up inside.

"Daddy! Don't make her carry the luggage! She might fall!" Marina protested.

"She'll be fine." Her father muttered.

Marina frowned again and sighed, before helping her sister with the luggage. She didn't care about the consequences, she just wanted to make this easier on her sister.

At the doors, Marcus greeted them and let them inside with a warm, welcoming invite. The luggage was, thankfully, left to a few hand maids to bring them to their rooms. Sally was relieved, despite that she heard Dr. Finkelstein mutter that she was lucky "this time".

The Finkelsteins were then led to the sitting room, where the royal family was seated and waiting to greet them. It surprised Sally quite a bit that there wasn't some kind of formal throne room in which the King, Queen and Prince would sit, then greet them. None the less, she was quite taken aback by the grandeur and decor.

Frederick, Patricia and Jack all stood up as the Finkelsteins were brought in, all smiling pleasantly.

"Hello! Welcome to the mansion, we're so glad to finally see you all. Doctor, how wonderful to see you again!" Frederick greeted.

Dr. Finkelstein smiled, and shook the King's had. "Fred my man, it's great to see you too. You've made a wise choice in choosing my daughter for your son." He looked to Jack. "Jack Skellington, how are you, my boy?"

"Just fine, Doctor!" Jack said happily. "How wonderful that I can meet your whole family!"

"Well then! You know my dear precious Jewel." Dr. Finkelstein gestured to his wife.

"Hello Jack, it's lovely to see you again." Jewel smiled.

"And lovely to see you as well, Lady Finkelstein!" Jack bowed to her politely.

"Jack my boy, this is my dear Marina." Dr. Finkelstein introduced his daughter.

Jack smiled toward Marina, and took hold of her hand. "Hello Marina, it's very lovely to meet you." He kissed the back of her hand, and then released it.

"It's nice to meet you too, Your Highness." Marina smiled warmly, curtsying.

"Oh, no need for such formalities! You can call me Jack." Jack assured, chuckling.

"All right, Jack." Marina nodded, smiling a bit more, and looked to the King and Queen. "Your Majesties, it is quite an honour to meet you!"

"As it is to you, dear Marina." Frederick smiled as he shook her hand. "I am Frederick, but you may call me Fred, if you wish. And this is my wife, Patricia."

"Hello, dear." Patricia smiled. "It's wonderful to meet you."

"Thank you, Your Majesties!" Marina curtsied again.

The Pumpkin Prince chuckled, and then paused as he noticed someone hiding behind Marina. He hadn't noticed this creature before, and was all the more amazed. He suddenly couldn't stop looking at her. But he smiled very warmly. "And who is this lovely lady?" Yes, he knew full well that she was a rag doll, but that didn't deter his opinion.

Sally's eyes widened and she blushed, looking away shyly.

"Ignore her, she's only our maid and-" Dr. Finkelstein began.

"Daddy!" Marina said with annoyance. "Stop that!" She smiled toward Sally and stepped aside, bringing her forward. "This is my sister, Sally."

"Sally...what a lovely name." Jack said honestly, and smiled more. "Hello, Sally. I'm very glad you could join with us."

Sally blushed, and finally faced the Prince completely. It was hard to do so...he was so handsome. She couldn't take her eyes off him! But oh, it was rude to stare, and she didn't want to give a bad impression. Seeing his warm, welcoming and encouraging smile, she felt a bit better. "H-Hello... ...It's very...nice to meet you, Your Highness..." She said softly, very shyly.

Jack smiled, quite a bit more than at Marina before, and took her hand. "It's very nice to meet you too, Sally. I hope you enjoy your time here." He kissed the back of her hand, and no one noticed that he lingered a few moments longer than when he had kissed Marina's hand.

Sally let out a little gasp and blushed all the more at his kind gesture, looking away. Marina grinned and giggled at the sight. She expected the King and Queen to dismiss her completely, but they too were very warm and welcoming to her as well.

"Sally, it's lovely to meet you at last." Frederick said, and shook her hand gently. "I've heard a bit about you."

"Oh...it's...nice to meet you as well, your Majesty." Sally gave an awkward curtsy, especially since she felt out of place in her patchwork dress, while her creators were dressed in their best.

"Sally my dear, I must first say that I find your dress very unique!" Patricia said sweetly. "Wherever did you get it?"

"Oh...thank you, I...made it myself." Sally said softly.

Patricia looked intrigued. "I see! Well, do tell me about it later, will you? Now then everyone, why don't we sit down for some tea?"

Everyone sat around the grand sitting room, drinking some tea. Frederick and Dr. Finkelstein chatted with one another about old times, while Patricia and Jewel spoke with each other. Jack and Marina, however, didn't speak all that much to each other. When they did, they made small talk, and were pleasant and polite with each other, but that was it. While the silences that followed weren't awkward, they weren't exactly encouraging, either.

There was no spark between them. Not at all. In a friendly way, maybe, but there wasn't much else.

"Well...um...Sally made this dress right here for me!" Marina said, deciding to give Jack and her sister a chance to get more acquainted. She seemed to...notice something between them when they introduced themselves. And she especially noticed how her sister kept looking at him with a blush.

The dress was very light blue, and had a high but comfortable neckline, the bodice was embroided with mesh netting that resembled spider webs, and had long sleeves that were also spidery mesh.

"Really?" Jack smiled, and looked over at Sally. "You made it yourself?"

Sally gave a little nod. "Well...it was Marina's design...but I made it, that's all."

"That's all?" Jack repeated, and chuckled. "Don't be modest! It's a very lovely dress. You did a wonderful job. Well, I know my opinion doesn't matter in the least, since I myself definitely don't have an eye for fashion, but I can truly say that it's very lovely."

Marina giggled. "See! I told you it was awesome, Sally!"

This made Sally blush all the more as she looked down shyly. "Um...well I...thank you, Your Highness..."

Jack smiled, and looked more at her than at Marina. "Sally...you don't have to address me with formalities. Just call me Jack. In fact I prefer that. Even as the Pumpkin Prince, I much prefer to make people feel as if they can just come and talk to me."

"...All...all right...Jack..." Sally managed to look at him a little. She felt so odd addressing him by his first name, especially when she was told NOT to do that. But then again, he himself had said she had permission to. That was enough, right?

"Sally is very talented in sewing, Jack." Marina put in, to push things along. "She makes excellent clothing of all kinds! Just give her a fabric, or a base, or a pattern, and she can stitch up a masterpiece!"

"Is that right?" Jack smiled more at Sally. "That's a very interesting talent to have, Sally! In fact, would you be able to make Halloween costumes? We always need a hand with those!"

Sally gave a small nod. "Um...yes...I-I could...I have before, but I never...told anyone I made them."

"Why not?" Jack looked surprised.

Marina cut in then, saving her sister. "She's very shy and modest, as you can see, so she asks us not to tell anyone." That was a bit of a lie, of course. Since the real reason was that her father refused to allow her any credit for the work.

"Oh." Jack frowned a little at this, but then smiled again. "I can understand that, Sally. I would certainly never dream of compromising your privacy."

"And if you ever want to see some of her stuff, she'd be glad to show you." Marina winked at her sister.

"Um...!" Sally blushed. "...Ah...yes, I would be happy to..." She couldn't believe what Marina was saying! Then again, she did kind of like the idea of her work being observed by the Prince himself! The idea of Jack smiling as she showed him her latest design completed... She shook her head of such thoughts.

"Splendid!" Jack exclaimed happily. "I'd like that, Sally. Everyone in town has their own unique abilities, and it's always a treat to see them in action. And your talent is of course very useful, I think it could make a wonderful contribution to the town."

He didn't know what came over him, but there was just something about Sally. She was very small and shy, but it seemed intrinsic. Jack was used to people revering him so much and even feeling overwhelmed by his presence, and she certainly seemed to be, but it really came off as something that she would feel around anyone. She was very cute...and hauntingly pretty, especially with her rusty red hair, which he found to be very interesting.

"Thank you...Jack..." Sally shyly looked at him with a small, nervous smile. "I'm...happy to know that my work is appreciated..."

"Oh! You're very welcome, Sally." Jack said kindly, smiling more at her.

Marina sipped her tea, and then glanced at them again. She felt herself giggle, but held it back. Oh yes, she was right. There _was_ attraction between them. Especially on Sally's part. She could tell that her sister was very attracted to Jack, whether she knew it or not. Jack on the other hand, it was harder to spot, but you could definitely see that he was quite intrigued by Sally.

Unfortunately, the Finkelsteins noticed, and the King and Queen did too. They saw from the beginning just how little spark and chemistry there was between the two intended betrothed. But with Jack and Sally, there was _something _there. The way Sally gazed at Jack with a little too much admiration, and that Jack was gazing back at her with a little too much intrigue.

But, they let it pass. Frederick and Patricia figured Jack was just being nice and humouring the...outcast of the Finkelstein family, while Lord and Lady Finkelstein figured that Sally was just infatuated.

Marina, however, felt pretty glad at seeing that.

It was hard to say just how things were going to turn out, especially since the beginning of the meeting seemed to be quite a mixed bag. But at least everyone was in a good mood with one another. Aside, maybe, from the Doctor and his creation.

* * *

><p>Much later, the two families were now sitting outside in the garden together after having had lunch.<p>

The conversations between Jack and Marina still fell between small talk, or when she was in a conversation with both Jack and Sally, which also came to happen quite a bit. However, it still remained that the two just didn't quite feel a spark at all. Sure, when they conversed, it was polite and pleasant, but there wasn't very much to go on. Both sets of parents noticed this, and were quite concerned, but figured it was nothing to worry about. If anything, it would something that would improve in time.

Meanwhile though, Jack and Sally seemed to talk quite a bit. Even if Sally would often get shy and look away while playing with her hair, it did still count that she was talking with him. Even through lunch, and right now, anytime they spoke...it was a conversation that seemed endless! They would talk about one topic, and actually shift to a different topic amidst the same conversation, which was quite hilarious! Marina was often left out, being the one to just sit there and listen to them.

But she didn't care. She was just glad to see her sister making a friend, and that Jack seemed to like Sally and want to talk to her. She was even especially glad to see her sister actually breaking out of her shy shell! Yes, Sally did have her shy moments, blushed, looked away and often clammed up, but as time went on over the morning and into the afternoon, she could see her being less and less shy and more open and talkative.

"Well, you see...at times I would sometimes just improvise, you know." Jack explained to Sally, talking about the Halloween celebrations. "Usually by juggling my bones or something of that sort."

"Really...?" Sally blinked, still quite intrigued. "Well, I can see why that would work...to be able to just do whatever and coordinate it to make it work for the celebration...I think that's very impressive."

Jack looked surprised at her compliment, and smiled. He hadn't exactly broadcast the fact that he sometimes improvised. "Thank you, Sally. That's very kind of you to say. It's not much, really, but it is a good tactic. Usually, my most popular trick is removing my head." He popped his skull off his neck very easily and held it in his hand toward her, grinning widely as he did so.

"Oh!" Sally gasped, observing this demonstration with awe. She smiled, and waved at his disembodied skull. "That's very good, Jack..."

Jack's skull winked at her. "I am dead, so it's really no problem for me to remove my bones and then replace them. And it makes for reciting Shakespearean quotations, as well!" He placed his skull back onto his neck. "See? Good as new."

"I...I see..." Sally gave a nod, smiling a bit more. "...I...can remove my limbs, actually..."

"Remove your limbs?" Jack's eye sockets went wide with curious interest. "Well that certainly makes sense, since you are a rag doll. ...Er...if that isn't offensive to say."

"No, not at all..." Sally glanced away shyly, playing with her hair a bit.

Jack smiled brighter. Even though Sally was quite shy and often looked away from him, he couldn't help but find her charming. She was also very nice to talk to, especially since she actually talked to him like a regular person, and didn't continuously praise him and get all fangirlish just because he was the Pumpkin Prince. While she certainly seemed shy and overwhelmed by it intellectually, especially since she was a shy girl, it was refreshing to talk to someone on a normal level.

"Sally!" Dr. Lord Finkelstein suddenly said. "Come over here, right now."

Broken out of her reverie, Sally answered with a silent "Yes, Doctor" before she stood up, walking over to the other end of the veranda to see what her creator wanted.

Watching her go, Jack couldn't help but feel a pang of...disappointment. He hadn't realized how much he enjoyed talking to Sally so much, not until he was no longer able to for some time. But, he kept himself composed and smiling.

"Hey, Jack..." Marina said casually, turning to him as something came to her mind. "I was just curious. That tower you have up there, it has big windows...well, obviously. I was wondering if that was some kind of an observatory room?"

Jack blinked at the question, before he smiled and nodded. "Yes! It is! It's one of my favourite rooms in the place, actually. My father originally used it for his study, but because I was always playing in there and using his telescope, he eventually let me have it. It's a good place to go where I like to think sometimes, and just observe around the town."

"Ah...I see." Marina smiled. "Well, my sister doesn't get out very much, unfortunately. You know...shyness, being a homebody. I was wondering if maybe you could show the room to her and I? I'm sure she'd love it."

"Why of course! I would be delighted! How about I take you both up there after dinner, when the sun is setting? It will surely make for a spectacular view!" Jack said eagerly, nodding his skull a few times.

"Great! That sounds like a dreadfully awesome idea." Marina giggled. "Thanks Jack, I appreciate you doing that. I admit it was probably a silly request, but I thought it'd be neat to see, and I knew Sally would love it."

"I certainly hope you two will like it!" Jack said, and looked toward Sally for a moment as she was talking to her parents. But she looked...kind of miserable, disappointed. He frowned lightly, but shook it off. "Marina, you certainly do think of your sister, don't you?" He smiled kindly.

Marina nodded. "Yeah, I do. I don't want to get into our family matters, but sometimes Sally's a little under-appreciated and feels she's living in my shadow. And well, to be honest, that's not fair. Sally's a great girl, and she deserves to be seen and heard! If there's one thing she can do better than I can, it's definitely sewing. I can't sew worth a darn!" She laughed at this. "But really though, she really is like a little sister to me and I care about her a lot. I'm glad she got to meet all of you. And you've been really nice to her. I appreciate that, Jack. I really do."

"Well...she is a very nice girl and I enjoy talking to her." Jack admitted, looking more at Sally than at Marina. "She's...charming...and very sweet..."

Marina giggled, nodding her head as she settled back in her chair, drinking her honey lemonade.

Sally, meanwhile, was quite in for a scolding.

"You dare eat up the Prince's time with your nonsense!" Dr. Finkelstein hissed under his breath so that the King and Queen wouldn't overhear. "I beseech that you stop this at once. We are here for him and Marina's engagement! You are to sit there and keep quiet!"

"I assure you, Doctor... The Prince spoke to me of his own free will, I did not force him." Sally pleaded.

"Say as you will, I won't allow you to ruin Marina's chances!"

"Dear..." Jewel intervened. "The Prince is just humouring her and being nice."

Dr. Finkelstein grumbled. "...Go sit down, Sally. And do not eat up the Prince's time again! You are not worthy of him."

"Yes, Doctor." Sally mumbled, and went to sit back in her seat.

She couldn't help but wonder. Did she really bother Jack that much, and waste his time? Did he really feel that way. He was so kind and sweet to her, and he continuously asked her opinion on certain things, he shared things with her about himelf and his life... Was he really just humouring her? Sally knew she didn't force him to talk to her. In fact, he did most of the talking while she listened, offered her input, but very rarely did she initiate conversation. Being shy, she never quite knew how to do so properly. But overall, she thought, or hoped, that he DID like talking to her...she loved talking to him. He was patient and kind when it came to her shyer moments, especially. If anything, he encouraged her to take her time and that he was listening, to just come out and say it.

At any time she said something he disagreed with, Jack not once laughed at her or berated her for it. If anything, he was thoughtful, polite, and even stated she made a good point and understood where she was coming from, despite not agreeing. Sally never would've thought that she could say something that one would disagree with and be so..._civil_. It warmed her heart.

"Sally!" Jack said then, interrupting her thoughts. "I'm very glad you came back. Marina suggested a very nice idea, if you're interested."

"Oh...what's that?" Sally blinked, looking from Jack to Marina, curious.

"I suggested he show us the observatory in the tower!" Marina answered for him with a grin. "I asked him if it was one, since it has huge windows, and he said that it was. So I asked if we could see it, and he agreed to it! Would you like that?"

Sally's eyes went wide, and she couldn't help but smile. "I...I would like that...it sounds like a wonderful idea." Indeed, she was curious about the tower, and could see that since it was so high and had huge windows, would offer a great view of the kingdom. Now knowing what it was, she was eager to see it.

"I told you!" Marina grinned, nudging Jack lightly as if they were buddies.

Jack just beamed! "Splendid! I'll take you girls up there after dinner then, just as I said. You will love the view during sunset, Sally. I can guarantee it."

"I'll...I'll take your word for it..." Sally murmured, looking at him shyly as she fiddled with a few strands of her hair. "I'm looking forward to seeing it."

Both Jack and Sally exchanged smiling glances with one another before they turned away shyly, looking in other directions. Jack pretending to find the grass very interesting, and Sally staring down at her lap.

This time, Frederick noticed this. In fact, at some points he would glance over to the younger trio, and just seemed to notice something. Jack and Marina not only interacted very little, but it seemed that Jack took more of an interest in Sally than Marina at all. He hadn't been rude, of course, but he did seem to pay more attention to the rag doll. It was...a little odd.

On top of that, and he was sure Patricia noticed it too, but there was some kind of a strange sparking connection between Jack and Sally. Something that wasn't there when Jack and Marina interacted.

Admittedly, he was a little concerned.


	3. Dinner Time

**So it continues! :D I don't have much else to say, really. XD**

**However, we come to a probably well-known conclusion. Jack and Marina are not in love. Try as they may, no love is to be seen, much to the chagrin of the parents.**

**Oh well. At least...love is blossoming SOMEWHERE, right? ;)**

**This chapter is shorter, yes, but it was mainly to cover some of the events that take place before, during, and after dinnertime. :3 Next time around, we'll flesh out some more things that come together during the days that the Finkelsteins are visiting.**

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><p>It was nearing dinner time at the Skellington manor, and this was when Frederick pulled his son aside so they could talk for a moment. Their guests were now getting settled into their rooms and relaxing, and having the chance to change for dinner. Sally was of course sharing a room with Marina, so that she would be more comfortable than a room on her own.<p>

So now, in his office, Frederick faced his son with look of concern. "Jack, I want to know something. Is everything all right?"

Jack blinked, a little puzzled as to why his father was asking that. "Why of course. Everything is fine. Why do you ask?"

"Son... I couldn't help but notice that you and Marina didn't seem to talk very much." Frederick explained, and sighed. "You two seem to get along all right. I don't understand why you two didn't interact."

"Oh." Jack realized, and he shrugged. "I don't know, Father. I do like Marina, she is a very kind and intelligent girl, and I think she would be a fitting Queen. There is nothing wrong with her at all." He said honestly. "I just simply don't know her very well. It'll just take time to get to know her."

Frederick was silent for a moment, but then addressed the next part of the issue. "I can understand that, son. However...your mother and I couldn't help but notice that you seemed to pay more attention to her sister, Sally, more than her."

This made Jack's eye sockets widen, and realize that it was true. He _did_ talk to Sally more than Marina did ever since the Finkelsteins had arrived. Was that really such a bad thing? "Well...yes, I suppose I did. But, I assure you that I did not mean to make it seem like I was ignoring or avoiding Marina. Not at all. I was, yes, more caught up in talking to Sally. I couldn't help it, Father. I like Sally, too. She's very sweet, charming, and even though she's very shy, I enjoy talking to her."

"I understand that, and I am glad you're getting along with them both. However, I do think you should apologize to Marina. It was unfair to ignore her, though I knew that you did not intend to do so." Frederick informed him.

"I will, Father." Jack nodded. "I just hope she understands."

What Jack didn't realize, was the double meaning to that statement. None the less, he knew what he had to do, and he was going to make sure to set things well and straight, and hope that Marina understood that he was not purposefully neglecting her.

At the same time, he wondered why he was so drawn to Sally like he was. Why she seemed so much more compelling in comparison to Marina. He didn't get it at all.

Hopefully answers to his questions would make themselves clear soon, but Jack had a feeling that probably wasn't to be.

* * *

><p>When the Finkelsteins were invited down to dinner, Jack took Marina aside, out to the garden to talk in private. He hoped she wasn't too offended, but whatever it took, he would make it up to her. While he may not have been entirely enthusiastic about marrying a woman he barely knew, he was still going to make a very concerted effort to make her feel respected and well-treated. She was a nice woman, and she did deserve to be treated well.<p>

Much to his surprise, Marina actually wasn't angry at all. In fact, she was very understanding and even encouraged that he get along well with her sister.

"Really, Jack...I'm not mad or offended." Marina assured with a friendly smile. "In fact, I'm actually really happy that you and Sally were talking so much and getting along today. You see, well, she really doesn't have any friends at all." She said this with a bit of a sad look before smiling again. "But she really likes you, you know. I'm glad she has someone to talk to. And if you like talking to her, well, why not? I don't have any problem with that."

Jack was taken aback at this. Sally...had no friends? He could not understand why that was. Sally was such a sweet and charming girl, and very easy to talk to. Why didn't she have friends? What was not to like about her? Sure, she was shy and probably couldn't approach people very well, but once you got her to sit down and talk to you, she was really great to talk with. Was there something more to all of this that he didn't know, or was she really just that shy, and didn't get out much?

"I mean...you _do_ like talking to her, right? Please, Jack...don't just talk to her because you feel you have to." Marina said, and bit her lip. "I really don't want her feelings hurt."

Managing to regain himself, Jack placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "I assure you Marina, that I'm not just being nice to her. I do truly like Sally and I enjoy talking to her. I wouldn't lie about that kind of thing, and I also wouldn't talk to her this much just to 'be nice'. Still," He smiled kindly. "You are a great sister for thinking of her feelings and looking out for her. I'm sure she appreciates that very much."

"Thanks, Jack." Marina smiled. "I'm glad you understand. I just don't want her to get hurt. But I'm glad you like her and enjoy talking to her. That's a great thing. Like I said, she likes you too. You've been really nice and even patient with her when she gets shy. I'm glad. She could use a nice friend like you."

Chuckling, Jack let go of her shoulders and smiled more. "I hope I can be a good friend to her like you are."

"I do my best." The green-haired woman said, and then gestured to the door. "Shall we go inside? I think Daddy might be wondering where we are. Your butler DID say it was time for dinner, right?"

"Oh! Right, he did." Jack nodded and went to the back door, opening it up. "Ladies first." He smiled, winking.

Marina giggled and walked inside. "I guess chivalry isn't as dead as we all are, is it?"

Jack gave a laugh. "No, I suppose it isn't. Not while I'm around!"

* * *

><p>Dinner was...a mixed bag, you could say.<p>

To begin with, Sally was seated right across from Jack. Unfortunately, on her left side was Dr. Finkelstein, who was a little too keen to keep an eye on her and make sure she didn't "step out of line" at all. Now she felt nervous and hesitant, since talking to Jack would only be interpreted as her wasting his time or something like that. She only spoke to him when spoken to, and tried not to veer off into long discussions, as much as she wanted to.

Even while the Lord doctor was talking to Frederick, who was at the head of the table nearest him, Sally still knew her creator was not going to let her off easy.

Marina sat next to Jack, which had been decided by their parents in order to get them closer and to talk more. Unfortunately, for them anyway, even that didn't encourage them. Sure, they still talked a bit, especially now that there was more of an understanding between them, it just still didn't spark any attraction between them at all.

Jack was still even trying to talk to Sally, but he could see that she was holding back. He wondered what was wrong, and why she was quieter and more nervous. He couldn't help but wonder if her father had something to do with it, considering he almost always looked at her, especially out the corner of his eyes behind his dark glasses.

On top of that, as much as Jack tried _not_ to stare, he couldn't help but feel captivated with how beautiful Sally looked. Gone was the regular (but still charming) patchwork dress. It was replaced by a midnight blue simple velvet dress, with a silver trim on the hem of the sleeves, skirt, and along the empire waist. Her rusty red hair was pulled into a single, long braid that was pulled over one shoulder, and even had orange and black roses weaved into it. She even wore light makeup, just enough to enhance her very expressive facial features. Her stitches along her arms, neck, collarbone, and face only seemed to enhance her very much.

The moment he'd seen her before they all sat down to eat, he couldn't look away.

Marina certainly looked beautiful as well, with her blood red strapless gown, the deep red gossamer veil wrap she wore around her shoulders and arms and her jade hair tied into a bun. She too wore some light makeup, which all the more enhanced her drop-dead beauty. Not that she was trying to steal Jack's attention, she was only dolling herself up for the sake of appearances.

It was obvious that she had done up Sally for the event tonight, giving her one of her dresses that she'd brought along, and doing her hair and makeup. Marina felt pretty proud of her work, and felt really amused with the fact that Jack couldn't take his eyes off her.

Jack was now asking Sally a question regarding a very well-known fact of the Kingdom, Halloween. He hoped this would gear her up a bit, especially since she had earlier expressed with regret that she had never seen a complete Halloween celebration.

"Tell me, what would you say is a reason we scare people, Sally?" Jack asked with a smile.

Sally looked surprised at the question, but was very intrigued by the topic. "Oh, well...I think..." She pondered a good answer, but having very little knowledge aside from researching in book, she wasn't quite sure how to put it correctly.

"Jack my boy, you can't possibly ask her such a thing. It's highly debatable!" Dr. Finkelstein cut in. "She wouldn't know, not in the least!"

"Daddy!" Marina said, clearly annoyed. "Let Sally talk. Jack asked her a question, a very legitimate question, and I think it'd be rude if you prevented her from doing so. I think he'd like to hear what she has to say."

Jack gave a nod, keeping as cool and calm and professional as possible. "Yes, Doctor. I would like to know what Sally has to say about it."

Sighing, Dr. Finkelstein grumbled before muttering an apology, though not toward Sally, and turned back to Frederick.

"Please, go ahead, Sally." Jack told her, his smile returning.

After a brief pause, Sally decided to offer her opinion as best as she could. "W-Well...don't quote me on this...as I don't really have a huge knowledge of Halloween as I wish I could have. ...However, I think...that deep down...people need an outlet...and being scared by something...especially from the elements of Halloween, kind of feeds that outlet. Deep down...people do like to be scared...challenged, in a sense."

Marina blinked, and considered her sister's input on the subject. Surely, she'd asked Sally once or twice about this, but back then she wasn't as informed and wasn't sure of the topic, and was even unsure because she didn't want to make an incorrect assumption. Now that she knew a bit more, it was no wonder she thought of a pretty good answer. She smiled. "That's pretty good, sis. I never thought of it that way before!"

Jack smiled all the more, giving a few rapid nods. "Sally, that's a very good answer! I have certainly seen it in that sense before, yes, but you certainly put it very eloquently."

A blush tinted Sally's cheeks as she looked down at her lap bashfully, toying with the fabric of her dress, mumbling a soft "thank you" to them both. It was surprising to think that she actually came up with a good answer that not only impressed her sister, but Jack of all people as well? The very Pumpkin Prince? Considered to be the scariest of them all, aside from his father? Her heart would have skipped a beat if she had one. None the less, she felt pretty good for having actually managed to come up with a good answer.

Sally then reached for the canister of crickets, all the while Jack reached over for the bottle of Wolf Creek Ginger Ale that was sitting near it. Their hands ended up brushing together, causing them to all but freeze up at the contact. Once more Sally blushed and looked away shyly, slowly withdrawing her hand. Jack also, looked away with a bashful look and managed a soft "Sorry" before he too pulled his hand back. After a few moments, both of them ended up reaching at the same time for what they had been originally trying to retrieve, and ended up bumping hands again.

Marina giggled, but tried not to divert their attention.

"Sorry..." Sally pulled her hand away again.

"It's all right." Jack managed, smiling goofily as he took the bottle.

Little did they realize that both sets of parents noticed this exchange. It was something you would see in a cliché romance story, especially between two people who were falling in love.

Frederick and Patricia exchanged glances. It was obvious to them now, whether Jack knew it or not, that he was attracted to Sally. More so than with Marina.

Dr. Finkelstein and Jewel exchanged looks as well before both of them shook their heads. They knew now full well that Sally was infatuated with Jack, and they did not like that one bit.

_It's just a silly infatuation. It'll pass._ All four of them thought.

Marina, however, had different thoughts in mind. _Oh, they're so attracted to each other...Hee hee! Maybe they'll fall in love and get me off the hook!_

The dinner went on, just as pretty much unexpected as a whole, but expected, what with how certain things unfolded over the course of the day.

* * *

><p>After dinner, as promised, Jack took Marina and Sally up to the tower. Along the way, Jack noticed that although Sally could walk just fine for a rag doll, she did still have some physical problems. When going up the stairs, she even stumbled a couple of times. So Jack had taken her hand, and helped her along the way, making sure she was all right and asking her so.<p>

Sally was blushing the entire time, and could not get over the wonderful feeling of her hand being held safely in Jack's bony hand.

Finally, they made it up to the observatory tower. It was very round, with the staircase coming up in the middle of the room. An all-around, panoramic view of the town and the hills and trees out back were featured through the large windows. A telescope stood nearby, looking out toward the town. Therewas also a desk, a few bookshelves with a rolling ladder, an electric chair, and some other paraphernalia. A ghost dog sat in the corner, and barked happily as he came to greet them.

"Zero! There you are!" Jack greeted happily, petting his head. "Girls, this is my dog, Zero."

"Hey, Zero!" Marina waved at him. She was more of a cat person, but she did like dogs just the same.

"Hello Zero..." Sally knelt down and scratched behind his ears. Zero happily barked and snuggled up against her.

"Awwww! I think he likes you, Sally!" Marina giggled.

Jack grinned as well, chuckling. "He loves girls, and you're giving him attention, it's no wonder. He also has a sense of how people are, so if they're nice, he likes them."

"That certainly makes sense..." Sally smiled, and continued petting Zero. She then stood up, and walked over to the windows, and was just in awe.

Being so high up, you could see the entire town, and even the dead plains beyond. The pumpkin sun was setting behind the faraway mountains, which was absolutely breathtaking. The shadowed, bright light of the hour of twilight bathed the entire atmosphere, and even poured into the room as well.

It was beautiful. She had never seen such a view like this before, which was no wonder she seemed to find it the most beautiful. It made her feel as if she were looking at the sun for the first time in her existence. She almost wanted to place her hands against the pane of the glass and lean out for a better look, but held back.

Feeling a presence beside her, she almost expected Marina to have joined up next to her, but when she turned her head a bit, she was surprised to see that Jack had come up beside her! She blushed, and looked away a little.

"What do you think?" Jack said softly, looking down at her with a smile.

"It's..." Sally looked out the window again. "It's absolutely beautiful. I've never seen anything like it."

"Yes, very beautiful..." Jack murmured dreamily, though he didn't quite realize that he wasn't talking about the view at all.

Marina did, and giggled from where she was near the back of the room.

"May I...May I look through the telescope?" Sally asked shyly, looking down at the floor.

Jack grinned widely. "Of course, Sally! Go right ahead, point it to anywhere you like."

Beaming, Sally tiptoed over to the telescope, and peered through the lens. The views of some of the buildings, the sight of people walking around, was amazing at how close they seemed through a telescopic lens. She'd looked through microscopes before, but never quite had the chance to use a pair of binoculars or a telescope. It was so fascinating. She almost wished it were nighttime, so that she could look up at the stars and have a better view of the constellations, and even mark them down.

Sally guided the telescope around the town, and toward the mountains, fascinated with seeing them somewhat close-up. "Wow..." She stood up straight, gently repositioning the viewpoint to where it had been before.

"My turn!" Marina chortled, and trotted over to the telescope to look through it.

Giggling, Sally looked over toward Jack, and brought her hands behind her back shyly. "Jack...I...I wanted to...to thank you for showing us this room... It was really nice of you..."

"You're very welcome!" Jack smiled, giving a little bow. "You two are my guests and I will see to it that you have a lovely time here. It was my pleasure to show you two the observatory, I had a feeling you'd like it!"

"Told you so!" Marina giggled, winking toward Jack.

Jack chuckled, and stood along with Sally once more as they enjoyed the view together.


	4. Courting Yeah, right

**Welcome back. :D**

**All right, for anyone who might be worried (or hoping I DON'T do this...), YES. Jack and Sally will MOST DEFINITELY **_get together in the end_**. Because I'm a sucker for the pairings I ship and happy endings. Get used to it, people. **

**So yeah, for you fans who hate this pairing, I think you're going to want to turn back and go read all the anti fics you want. Because unless I parody it, I'm afraid I will be Jack and Sally all the way. :) So yeah, don't like it? Bite me.**

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><p>Courting.<p>

It was straight-forward, simple enough, the very concept of dating.

Well, for one thing, Jack honestly had no prior experience to dating nor courting a woman in his entire undead life. He'd learned all he could from his father, books, and even some...less conventional tactics from his cousin, Bonejangles. But he ignored those, vowing never to treat a lady in such a way.

The second thing about this trouble, was that he his heart, if he had one, was just not in it.

It was the day following the arrival of the Finkelsteins. Jack and Marina were sent to go out on a date, to officially get into courting, which they would be doing for the next six months, up until the BIG DAY, their wedding day.

But in all honesty, it just wasn't working. Neither Jack or Marina felt anything at all as they tried to court each other. But everything they did was half-hearted in terms of that. Jack was no less the dapper, kind, respectable gentleman he was, and Marina was a kind and loyal young lady in return, but beyond that, there was nothing. They felt more like two friends trying to date, but not feeling the sparks. That just seemed to be what was happening. There were no sparks.

Jack wasn't having a terrible time, not by any means. He liked Marina, and he did like her company. There was nothing wrong in that regard. But he simply saw her as nothing more than a casual acquaintance, even a friend. Maybe in time things would improve, but he wasn't so sure yet.

Marina was having a fine time, but she also wasn't ecstatic. She didn't even care about the rush of having the guy that all girls wanted. She didn't even care about that, even if she did love him. She liked Jack, she really did. But not as much as she loved Spencer. Not at all.

The two were having tea together at the local Coffee House, which consisted of a fair crowd of other undead denizens as they went about their days. Very few noticed Jack there, and if they did, didn't make a fuss about it. Surprisingly. Maybe today was just a slow day.

Marina broke the silence between them, TRYING to lighten the mood. "Well Jack. I gotta say...awkwaaaaaard." She drawled out the last syllables, and giggled.

Jack cracked a smile, nodding. "Very clever, Sally..."

Now Marina blinked. This was the third time today he had called her Sally. Had he even realized it at all? She smirked playfully then. "Sally? Um, Jack...if you wanted to be with Sally so much, why didn't you just tell me?"

A surprised exclamation came from Jack and his eye sockets went so very wide! "What? Did I...? Oh, I'm sorry, Marina. That was very rude of me, I-"

"It's all right, calm down." Marina held her hands up, smiling. "You called me Sally three times during our...outing, Jack. Are you sure you wouldn't rather be with Sally than me?"

For a few moments, Jack just couldn't answer that. He was honestly quite conflicted with his thoughts at the moment. As much as he couldn't admit it, even to himself, but Sally was on his mind far more than he expected. And he had called Marina "Sally" three times during their little courting...date. It made him realize how much he wouldn't have minded if Sally were in her place right now. How he would have even somehow _preferred_ that.

Come to think of it, he couldn't even see her this morning. Jack had tried, but was continuously told by the Finkelsteins that Sally was occupied with other matters. It kind of...made him feel a little discouraged.

_Why am I thinking about Sally so much? Sally...the beautiful rag doll..._ A bit of a dreamy smile came to his face, which did not go unnoticed to Marina.

"AHA! Jack... If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were _attracted_ to Sally!" Marina grinned. "I knew it!"

This made Jack jump a bit, nearly falling from his chair. "A-Attracted?"

"Hold that thought." Marina hailed over a waiter. "Check, please."

The waiter nodded, and then left. He returned a few moments later with the check, and bid them a bow and farewell, telling them to come again. Marina smiled and placed some souls onto the table, before standing up and brushing her dress. "Come on Jack, we can still go to the graveyard, and try to talk more about this in a more relaxing and private setting."

Jack, still taken aback by Marina's proclamation, just nodded and stood up with her, walking alongside her to leave the place.

_Attracted to Sally...? Am I?_

* * *

><p>They now came to the graveyard, where they could see the array of pumpkins along the pumpkin patch, the famed Spiral Hill, and all the various sizes and designs of the tombstones. A few ghosts were haunting around, other denizens were wandering around, but mostly it was quiet.<p>

Jack and Marina seated themselves onto a bench, neither of them having said a word ever since they left the cafe, and came here to the graveyard. Jack was still mulling over what she had said to him, about his possible attraction toward Sally.

Exhaling, Marina answered his earlier question. "Yes, Jack. I can clearly see that you are attracted to Sally. I'm not trying to be funny here, but ever since yesterday, I could see it, clear as the moon at night."

Yet again Jack was faced with the fact, the fact that he...was attracted to someone. And that someone was not the woman he was supposed to marry in half a year. He was attracted to Sally, and he had only known her for a day. Then with Marina, he knew her for a day as well, and he wasn't even remotely attracted to her.

How did it add up? He had no logical explanation for it at all.

"...I don't know what to say." Jack said softly. "I am sorry, though, Marina..."

"Jack...I..." Marina sighed then. "Can I...tell you a secret? And can you please promise not to tell?"

Blinking, Jack looked over at her. "A secret? Yes...of course I can. I give you my word as the Pumpkin Prince, and I never go back on my word. I promise."

"Thanks." Marina smiled. "I'll be honest, Jack. The first thing is...I'm not in love with you."

Once again, Jack's eye sockets widened. As relieved as he was to hear that, since it meant he would not be stringing her along and giving her false hope, he still couldn't help but feel really surprised. She didn't love him, and she said it right out loud and put it bluntly. "You're not?"

"No." Marina shook her head. "I mean, don't get me wrong. You're a really great guy, and I do like you. I think any girl would be REALLY lucky to have you. It's just...I know it's only been a day, but I can just see that you are not the one for _me_. That's all it is. And...well, in regards to my secret...I already have a lover. His name is Spencer. He's a bartender over at the Black Cauldron."

Jack was, needless to say, taken aback by this. He knew Spencer, though not very well, but knew that he was a very nice guy, and a very kind and attentive bartender. He always listened to other people talking to him, you know, playing the sympathetic listening bartender. But he would not have ever expected that he had a secret lover, Marina of all people.

Yet, it made sense. He had one of the most desired women in the Kingdom, it was no wonder he was hesitant to speak up about it. Given Marina's lifestyle and reputation, as well as her achievements, it was no wonder she kept Spencer a secret. It was expected, though such a shame.

"Yes...I do know Spencer a bit." Jack finally said. "I...never would've expected you two to be lovers in secret."

Marina smiled sadly. "Yeah, I know. But I...I really love him, Jack. I love him so much. But I know Mom and Daddy would never put up with it. They'd see him fired from his job, especially. See, Spencer's Mom is really sick. I love that woman, she's been like a surrogate mother to me. And if Spencer loses his job... He won't be able to support his mother. That's really the only thing keeping me from telling anyone. Sally's the only one who knows about it, and I trust her completely. I had to go along with this, because I knew if I didn't, I'd probably end up exposing Spencer and I."

A sympathetic look came to Jack's face, and he placed a hand on her shoulder. He couldn't imagine what that must've been like. Not only having a secret love affair, but to also have the life of someone you cared about on the line? That was a lot to handle, a lot to take in. Now he understood. Part of why they didn't seem to be attracted to one another was because Marina was in love with someone else, and very loyal to that person. In a way, he couldn't help but feel very proud of her. Even when she was set to marry him of all people, and had an entire world of amazing riches and comfort and security at her feet, it didn't sway her at all.

"I can see that this is very hard for you, Marina... But I must say that Spencer is very lucky to have you. You are a very charming, warm, kind, intelligent, articulate and very talented woman. Even in this, you still love him and remain loyal to him... That's very admirable." He smiled then. "And I promise I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks, Jack. You're a pal." Marina smiled, nodding her head. "I appreciate it very much. I just didn't want you to feel like I was leading you on and stringing you along."

This made Jack blink yet again, and then he chuckled, letting his hand fall from her shoulder. "That's very funny, because I had the same feeling."

Marina looked at him with surprise, and then laughed. "Wow! So I guess we feel the same way about the matter. We're not in love, and we were afraid of the other falling in love and being stuck in a sticky situation." She laughed again. "Yep, this isn't going to work at all."

"You're right." Jack chuckled. "Not at all. But at least we have a better understanding of everything."

"True. It feels good to get that off my chest, and know where we stand." Marina smiled, and held out her hand. "So, friends?"

Jack smiled, taking her hand and shaking it. "Of course. Friends."

"Great." Marina lowered her hand, and smirked a little. "You know...you didn't exactly..._deny_ that you're attracted to Sally. So, you are, aren't you?"

Once more, Jack was very conflicted, and held his skull in his hands. "I don't even know anymore." He sighed, feeling so unsure about his feelings.

"Well, I was being serious." She smiled then. "You and Sally really have a lot of chemistry...and there was sparks between you two."

Chemistry, sparks... He wasn't sure what to make of it. If it really was attraction, a part of him was kind of...glad. Glad to meet a girl he truly connected with and was interested in. On the other hand, it would only further complicate things in a lot of ways. Not to mention, pursuing and courting a lady? That was a whole other kettle of fish bones.

"Well, I admit I'm definitely not the most romantically perceptive type."

"Heh, kind of figured that out already."

Jack chuckled a bit, shaking his head. "I suppose I just need time to figure it out."

"That's usually the best idea." Marina said with a nod. "But look, Jack, if it really does come out to be that you are...well, attracted to her, don't let it get you down too much. Because if there's one thing I've learned, love doesn't play by any rules. It does what it wants. And if you fall in love with her...well, you can't help it. We can't help who we fall in love with. There's no 'one size fits all' when it comes to love. It works differently for everyone."

As silence befell them once more, Jack thought more on what Marina had said. Wondering if it was really possible that he could've been attracted to someone, let alone Sally. Again, he wasn't entirely opposed to the idea, he liked Sally a lot and found the idea of liking her a bit more than that, to be interesting. She seemed like a very easy person to lo-like, be attracted to. But the problem was, was it really attraction? Was there something there?

And moreover, what would he do about it?

"Unfortunately for us..." Marina went on, snapping Jack out of his reverie. "We don't have much choice right now, do we?"

Jack sighed, nodding along with her. "I can safely say that we don't, not unless our parents call this whole thing off..."

"Something tells me they won't be doing that any time soon." Marina said, looking a bit dismayed. "Well...we should head back. This courting thing really isn't working out."

"All right." Jack stood up, and offered his hand to her politely. "But it was a lovely time, none the less."

The Finkelstein heiress gave a smile. "Yeah, it was."

Jack continued to mull this over even as he and Marina made their way back to Skellington Manor.

* * *

><p>So the courting wasn't working at all. Any courting they would be doing was half-hearted. Not even a kiss was attempted to be shared to try to seal the deal. Not that their parents tried to encourage it, not vocally. They enjoyed each other's company, and felt they could probably have a decent time if not for the pressures of falling in love and getting married.<p>

But on the afternoon of day three, Sally had politely refused the offer to have "girl time" with Marina, Jewel and Patricia, where they were going to the spa in town. Frederick and the doctor went to go play golf (goodness knows how he would play!) out in the dead field, so Sally was left alone in the manor with Jack. And Marcus, as well as the rest of the servants.

While Sally explored the mansion a bit (being careful not to enter places she shouldn't be), it wasn't long before she finally found Jack. He was in the library, reading, obviously.

Deep down, Sally was both nervous and shy...and yet grateful to have time alone with him. She just hoped he wasn't too busy...but then again, what if he was studying and couldn't be disturbed? Should she approach him? Or just leave him to his-

"Sally!"

Sally jumped as she now realized that Jack had looked up and saw her in the doorway. He actually smiled brightly, placing his book down and standing up from the chair he'd been sitting in, sauntering over to her.

"There you are, I was wondering if you had gone off with our mothers and your sister or not." Jack said, and invited her into the library. "Were you looking for something?"

"Oh, no..." Sally blushed, looking down at the floor as she fiddled with some strands of her hair. "I was just...walking around...and I...s-saw you here. I...just didn't want to disturb you."

"Disturb me?" Jack gave a curious grin. "Sally, you're our guest! You could never disturb me. I was reading, yes, but if you wanted to see me for any reason, I would have gladly given you my attention! I enjoy your company, Sally."

Looking up in surprise, Sally felt as if her insides would burst. "You...you do?" She couldn't help but ask, as if afraid she hadn't heard him right.

"Of course!" On impulse, Jack held her little hands in his own. He couldn't help but marvel at how small her hands were, especially compared to his larger, longer, bony hands. It was fascinating, and just made her all the more adorable. "I enjoy spending time with you and talking to you, Sally. Don't ever think otherwise. You're a joy to have around!"

Sally blushed all the more, especially the fact that he was now holding her hands up like this. It felt so...so...romantic. "Jack...I...I...I enjoy your company, too." She looked up at him, making eye contact with him...

And then just felt so lost. The way he smiled at her so kindly, so warmly...and those deep, vivid, expressive eye sockets, looking at her with tender sweetness. They were so close, he was holding up her hands, and they were alone. What was wrong with her, why was she so lost in him? Sally felt as if her stuffing was going to burst at the seams at any given moment, strange, but wonderful feelings coursed through her, the same feelings she felt whenever she was with Jack. What did they mean? What was happening to her? Did he realize this..._power_ he had over her? Whatever it was, she couldn't tear her eyes away from him.

Jack too, was in the same boat. He couldn't believe how _lost_ he was in her as well. Did she have any idea what an _enchanting_ creature she was? She may not have been scary by any means, but that didn't deter her wonderful charm. She was so hauntingly beautiful; the way her midnight red lips would curl into a smile when she was happy, how big and expressive her eyes were, and those long eyelashes... Her blushy cheeks, the rusty redness of her hair, only added to how adorable she looked then, and made it all the more harder for him to take his eyes off her.

Releasing one of her hands, but still holding the other, Jack reached over to her, and gently caressed her cheek. The soft, smooth fabric of her skin was just so... Nice. Really nice. Her eyes widened at his gesture, but she made no attempt to stop him. She just looked up at him with curiosity, and amazed wonder.

"Sally..." Jack murmured her name softly, unable to keep from smiling at her. "You're beautiful. Inside and out." He blurted before stopping himself. While it was the truth, in his eyes, it did still feel to be very embarrassing and forward to say.

Sally was taken aback, and felt as if her knees were going weak. Jack...had called her beautiful. Beautiful. In her entire life, no one but Marina at times, ever called her beautiful. He thought she was beautiful? No, no...she must have heard him wrong.

But nothing came. There was no indication that he had not said it. He also didn't start laughing and say he was just kidding.

Jack said it, and...meant it?

"...Oh...Jack..." Sally murmured in a soft coo, and stepped closer to him. Something was coming over her, and whatever it was, strange as it felt, it was so intoxicating. She just couldn't escape it! Jack's kindness, warmth, easygoing nature, respect and sweetness toward her ever since they met was just beyond what she could have imagined. He had been nothing but so good to her, and she appreciated it so much. Far more than she could comprehend.

The way her voice spoke his name made Jack's bones want to melt. It sent shivers up his spine, and made him tremble a bit, but he held fast. As if she couldn't get to be more enchanting, now this feeling of her and being around her was intoxicating, so addicting.

Something was between them, and it was bursting through the seams. It was imminent, impending, and was ready to-

The grandfather clock in the room chimed three in the afternoon, quite loudly, and it snapped them out of their trance.

What had just happened?

Jack and Sally glanced away from each other, feeling quite bashful and unsure. Especially in regards to what had just happened.

Deciding to mull it over later, Jack cleared his throat. "Well...since we both enjoy each other's company...how about we..." He looked around for something to do, and then immediately grabbed the book he had been reading. "Here! Why don't we read a book?"

"Read? ...Together?" Sally blinked at the idea.

"Certainly! Why not? Do you like reading, Sally?" Jack cocked his head, smiling at her curiously.

Sally blushed, nodding.

"Splendid! Then let's read together, we can sit right over there on the sofa, where we'll be comfortable." Jack smiled more, and led her to one of the sofas in the room, sitting her down and making sure she was comfortable.

"Well, sure...that sounds like a nice idea..." Sally said softly, blushing a bit. "I'd like that, Jack."

Jack smiled all the more, if possible, and sat close to her, opening the book. "That's great, Sally! So, have you read this yet? _Pride and Prejudice_?"

"Oh, yes. My sister has many classic novels, and I read them sometimes." Sally nodded, scooting a little closer unconsciously as she tried to get a better look at the pages.

"Wonderful!" Jack beamed. "I've read it as well, in case you might not have guessed."

Sally giggled. "I suspected it."

Chuckling as well, Jack then began to read out loud from the first page, as Sally sat closely next to him, listening and reading along. After a few pages, she took over to read out loud as well, which Jack listened to attentively as he read along. The process repeated itself over the course of an hour or so, neither knew how long.

The most surprising thing happened then. Two things, in fact.

For one, Sally had dozed off on Jack's shoulder. She wasn't bored, just a little tired. If anything, she _loved_ the sound of Jack's voice as he read the story to her, conveying all the emotions within it. It seemed to lull her to sleep, in a good way. Now she was sleeping contently with her head on his shoulder that served as a pillow.

Along with that, Jack also had his arm around her. When did that happen? He didn't even recall slipping his arm around her and holding her closer, while he held the book in his other hand. It was so odd. Did it really happen when he wasn't paying attention to his own movements? Was he that lost in their moment?

Yep. No answers.

Now Sally was sleep against him, and he had his arm around her. Jack didn't understand, and yet, he just couldn't see it as a bad thing. He just smiled, bookmarked the page, and set the book aside.

It felt so nice. So _natural_. So _right._ There was just something about this close to Sally that felt right to him. Maybe it was because she was asleep and he felt that he was protecting her. Maybe it was because he just simply enjoyed her company that much. Maybe it was because he did truly feel comfortable enough with her.

Then again, maybe it was a bit of all three.

Either way, Jack simply remained where he was as he let Sally sleep, as he sat there with his thoughts.


	5. Closer

**Whoo! :D This is where things really begin! Kind of, anyway. X3**

**The butterfinger bit, referring to the candy bar, was actually a reference to a Disneyland video on YouTube. The user filmed the Jack and Sally there, and Sally had said that her favourite part of Halloween was the candy, and she loved the butterfinger candy bar, and said that it wasn't a real finger. XD**

**By the way, that whole end of the world and/or fleeing invasion thing is NOT foreshadowing. It's just for being silly. XD And based on a real-life joke my family and I have on where we would go if the Muslims took over or something.**

**Enjoy. ;)**

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><p>"Well, one of the things I like so far...is the candy." Sally confessed, smiling. "This one I like is this chocolate called a butterfinger. But it's a not real finger! The real world has such interesting candies. I've...never been there myself, but Marina has...and she brings back candy for me."<p>

"How fascinating!" Jack exclaimed, grinning widely. "One day Sally, I'll take you with me to the real world, and give the people quite a scare!"

Sally blinked once. "What? ...Oh, no no, Jack...I couldn't ask you to do that. I don't even know of my crea-...father would let me."

"Nonsense!" Jack waved it off. "You're capable of taking care of yourself, Sally, and I would be right there with you by your side! I can assure you, no, _swear_ to you on my own grave that you would be in safe hands with me." He held one of her hands in both of his, smiling. "In fact, oh! I know! Next Halloween would be perfect! You must come to the parade, and at that time I'll take you to see the real world! Considering it would be Halloween, you and I would fit right in!"

Blushing at how he was holding her hand, as well as his enthusiasm for the idea...it was impossible not to agree to it. "Oh, Jack... It would be very lovely to see the real world out there. If it can work out...sure...I'll go with you..." She paused then, and then asked with shy caution. "But what about Marina? She is your fiancée, after all."

Jack gave a nod, and shrug. "I had asked if we could, but she said that she had many other obligations that night. I was planning to take the both of you!"

"You were?" Sally asked in surprise, and felt very flattered.

"I was! You didn't think I just asked you because you were a convenient back up, did you?"

"Well I...didn't think that..."

"Sally, you're my friend." Jack told her with seriousness, but he was still smiling kindly. "Of course I'd want to go places with you! You know far well by now that I enjoy your company."

Sally blushed more and looked down sheepishly. It was almost tough to grasp that there was someone who enjoyed her company and wanted to spend time with her like this. Yet, it was a great feeling. A wonderful feeling. Especially since she felt the exact same way, and was glad to know the feeling was mutual. "I'm sorry, Jack... I'm not used to having a good friend."

A sad frown came to Jack's face, and he held her hand a little tigher. "Sally... They don't know what they're missing. You are a kind, friendly, generous, selfless, compassionate, intelligent and very bright woman. I'm more than happy to have met you, and to know you."

"I...I..." Sally felt her shyness overtake her, but she wanted to say it. She looked up into his eye sockets, and felt the feeling of warmth and so much happiness wash over her. "I feel the same way, Jack."

Jack beamed before releasing her hand, and just smiled at her tenderly. "I'm so happy to hear that, Sally..."

The two of them were outside in the garden together. It was late afternoon, and Marina had excused herself to take a nap since she'd had a tiring day of preparing for the royal ball that was to come in two weeks. Much to the chagrin of the parents, Jack opted to spend some time with Sally before the Finkelsteins would have to go home the next day.

It had been Marina who had found them in the library the previous day, with Sally asleep on Jack's shoulder and how content and happy Jack looked. She had thought the sight was absolutely adorable. Unfortunately, his father had found out about it, though he said nothing of the matter.

Admittedly, while Jack felt embarrassed and sheepish about it, he didn't regret it at all. Spending time with Sally, which he enjoyed, was a part of what made it all the more wonderful. The other part was how much she seemed to trust him. How she let herself just relax and even fall asleep against him. Given how shy and soft-spoken she was, you'd think she would pass out at the thought of sleeping against someone. But she actually let herself relax, and Jack couldn't help but feel flattered. If it had been Marina, he wouldn't have minded so much, but it would've felt really awkward. But with Sally, it felt so natural.

Much to his dismay, he still didn't understand why. It seemed so much more complicated than just the mere fact that he considered her a good friend. The feelings were all so intriguing, but so mysterious.

"Jack, I..." Sally said after a period of silence. "I do want to see you again after all of this...but would it be appropriate?"

"There's nothing inappropriate about spending time with a friend, Sally!" Jack assured her. "You just have to forgive my parents, they're kind of old-fashioned and don't always approve of me having lady friends. I can even see your father is like that, too."

"Yes, he is." Sally sighed. She had wanted to share about the fact that the doctor wasn't her father, but her creator, and that she was practically estranged from the family, but felt it would be a worrisome burden on him that he didn't need. Besides, it was a family matter, wasn't it? She would handle it. Somehow.

"But we'll figure a way, Sally! I promise you." Jack smiled at her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I will have to see Marina a lot, obviously, but because of that, I see no reason why I can't see you, too."

Sally blushed, playing with some strands of her hair. "Jack...you're so good to me."

A wider grin came to Jack's skull and he scooted a little closer to her on the bench. "But you're good to me too, Sally." Unwittingly, he reached over and gently tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ear. Her hair was so soft... He longed to run his fingers through it entirely, caressing her scalp and whispering sweet things into her ear, holding her close, the feel of her cloth arms around his neck, the way her midnight red lips would curve into a loving smile...

He shook his head of such thoughts. Try as he may, sweet thoughts of the two in various romantic situations were beginning to make themselves known in his mind a little too much.

A little more time went back and the two managed to delve into a bit of an interesting and fun conversation. This topic, for some odd reason, was about what they would do if it was the end of all of the undead, and they were the only ones left. It was hilarious to think of, and it was absolutely stupid and mundane to think about, and yet, they just had so much talking about it.

Jack theorized that he would first and foremost trek the lands to search for survivors, and from then on, try to build some kind haven and gather what they would need. Sally added in that because she could sew, she could salvage whatever clothes or fabrics they could find and make some sustainable clothes and blankets. She then said that if they found survivors, she would ask each of them what their skills were, and especially hope someone was a doctor or had at least a bit of medical experience. The question of re-population came up, but they both bashfully ignored it.

"What if the kingdom was invaded by...a really evil army of creatures and wiped out everyone?" Sally added on, clearly having a ball.

"Oh! That's a very good one! My father made a joke of that idea, actually." Jack chuckled. "The plan is going up to Mount Macabre, and taking refuge in the areas out there. It's perfect because it's very cold out there a lot, and there are too many bugs sometimes. They would never go there!"

"So, if the kingdom is invaded and we have to flee, that's where we'll go?" Sally smiled. "Up to Mount Macabre?"

"Affirmative!" Jack said, pointing a bony finger upward. "Upon an invasion, it's Mount Macabre we go!"

Sally giggled, clapping her hands a little bit. "That does sound like a good plan, Jack."

"Splendid! Then it's settled." Jack then took her hands in his, beaming. "Promise me Sally, that if some horrid tragedy comes to pass and we must flee, we'll meet at Mount Macabre! Find a good spot, and wait for me there! Or I'll wait for you there! Whoever gets there first."

As much as it was a silly joke, even Sally couldn't help but have a moment along with him to take it seriously. Who knows, maybe something terrible _would_ come to pass and the only option would be to flee. "All right, Jack. I promise. We'll meet there. At Mount Macabre, in case of some kind of an invasion and we need to flee."

Jack chuckled and squeezed her hands gently. "Oh, Sally...you're an absolute joy! I simply can't imagine having this kind of a conversation with anyone. In fact, if that happened they would think I was crazy. Though I must admit that wouldn't be too far off."

Sally giggled, smiling. "I don't think you're crazy, Jack."

"You don't? Well, you're certainly the first." Jack chuckled. "I have a cousin, you see, his name is Bonejangles. He hangs out very much at the Black Cauldron, and he says the silliest things, including which if my being crazy."

A laugh escaped Sally. "Marina mentioned a fellow named Bonejangles a few times when she went there with her friends. He's bizarre, from what I hear, but tells fun stories."

"That he certainly does, Sally." Jack chuckled and shook his head. "As crude, annoying, mad, and kind of...out there he can be, he's quite the fellow."

"I wouldn't mind meeting him someday." Sally remarked, smiling.

A mild tinge of a strange feeling coursed through Jack then, but he ignored it. "You'd best be careful of that Sally, he is known to hit on lovely ladies." He winked at her. "For a beautiful rag doll like yourself, you fit the bill."

Sally blushed and looked down again, feeling the same rush of happiness and overwhelming pleasure at the fact he called her beautiful. She wasn't vain in any sense of the word, and she didn't consider herself anything special, but she couldn't help but feel flattered that someone like Jack of all people would actually find her to be pretty.

"Sally..." Jack said softly, and brought his hand to her chin, gently raising her head to meet his gaze. He smiled tenderly. "I meant what I said, you are a beautiful woman. Inside and out."

It didn't cease the blush on her cheeks in the least. "Jack, I..." Once more she was overwhelmed, as if just realizing that he was so...handsome. Such a handsome skeleton...

An interruption ensued about the sound of someone clearing their throat from nearby. The two looked over their shoulders, coming to find Frederick and Patricia there. Marina was behind them, waving, and behind her were Jewel and Dr. Finkelstein. Both of them either dismayed or angered.

"Oh! Mother, Father..." Jack stood up, taking Sally by the hand to help her up as well. "Is something wrong?"

"Son, we need to talk." Frederick said sternly. "Patricia, why don't you show Sally the sewing room? I'm sure she would appreciate that."

"Certainly." Patricia nodded, and went over to Sally. "Come along, dear. I'll show the sewing room to you. I'm certain you haven't seen it?"

"Oh, no. I haven't. Thank you, Your Majesty." Sally said meekly. Truthfully she wanted to chat with Jack some more, but could see that she had pretty much overstayed her welcome in that regard. At least, to his parents and her creator. She followed after the Queen mutely, trying to ignore the glares she was earning from her creator.

"I'm going to play billiards, Jack!" Marina piped up. "You can join me in there later, if you want."

Jack gave a half smile, nodding toward her. "Sure, Marina. I shall." He bowed to her politely before following his father inside.

"That wretched girl..." Dr. Finkelstein muttered angrily. "I would never have expected my own creation to betray us like that!"

"Daddy!" Marina shot in annoyance. "Do you have to be so hard on her? Just because Jack and I don't spend every single waking moment together...come on. Sally doesn't have any friends! Would it kill you to just leave her alone FOR ONCE? You never even let her out of the house, and now when she finally makes an honest connection with someone, you look for ways to ruin it!"

"Hold your tongue Marina, I am your father!" The doctor said sternly.

"Sweetheart, you must still be tired..." Jewel tried to coax.

"And another thing!" Marina went on, ignoring her mother. "If Jack and Sally want to be friends and spend time together, why don't you just let them? To be honest I think they could use friends like each other. Come on, Daddy... I haven't seen Sally this happy in ever!"

"This isn't about her, dear." Jewel told her. "This is about you, and your upcoming marriage."

But Marina held her ground. "I'm aware of that, Mother. But Sally is a sister to me, whether or not you see her as a daughter, and I want her to feel good and happy as well. I didn't bring her here with us so I could rub everything good in my life in her face, not like what YOU two are doing. I brought her here because I wanted to get her OUT of her prison and have her see a whole new place, and even make friends with my future husband. Is that so wrong? Apparently with you two, it is, and it's asking too much. Well, I won't stand for it! I want Sally to be happy." She turned to head inside, but then stopped. "And one more thing. In case you haven't noticed, Jack really likes Sally. So if you try to stop him from seeing her, heh, good luck trying to tell your very _Prince_ and _future King_ who he can or can't see! And further more, when I'm Queen, Sally is staying with US! As in, nowhere near YOU!"

That said, she stormed inside, and while she didn't slam the door behind her, it sure did feel as if she would have.

Dr. Finkelstein and Jewel looked at each other and sighed, not all liking the rather rebellious attitude that Marina seemed to be taking on them over the past few years.

"She's just in one of her moods, dear. I'm sure it'll pass." Jewel said, though she sounded very unsure.

Dr. Finkelstein gave a sigh, shaking his head. "Even I don't know what has come over our Marina these days."

* * *

><p>As Jack sat across from his father in his office, he knew what was coming. It had to be about this whole thing, either his lack of progress with Marina, or spending so much time with a woman who wasn't his future bride, while his future bride was around. Given the serious look on his father's face, he knew it had to be about all of that.<p>

"You've been spending an awful lot of time with Sally, Jack." Frederick said bluntly.

Jack sighed, nodding. He had been right after all. "Yes, Father. I have."

"I understand you enjoy her company, and we have discussed this before. However Jack, there is something I think you should know. Sally seems to be a bit...infatuated with you."

That little bit of information made Jack's eyes widen. "Father, I don't-"

"Jack, while I understand that many young ladies are infatuated with you, and I'm sure Sally is no exception...I must warn you to be careful of that. By spending so much time with her, you seem to be feeding her false hope and leading her along. You are to be married to Marina. And this is not fair to her." Frederick told him, and sighed. "Son...I just don't want you to make a mistake. Finkelstein has said that Sally has no other friends, and I understand that you are trying to be a friend to her."

"Father...how Sally feels about me is her own business." Jack said seriously, but softly. He could not believe it. Was Sally infatuated with him? It couldn't be. But he refused to dwell on it for now. "But I am not just being nice to her out of some kind of obligation or out of pity. I do care about her and I consider her to be a good friend. I'm sorry it bothers you. But Marina is fine with it, she understands. I have even apologized to her for it and made sure that she didn't see this as neglect toward her, and she has not. Father, Sally and I are just friends."

A defeated sigh escaped the King as he faced his son yet again. "I trust your judgement, son. Just please don't get yourself into anything foolish. You're a young skeleton and sometimes it can be hard to make a decision, but in the end you do have to do the right thing."

Jack simply nodded a few times. "I understand. But you don't have to worry, Father. I trust Sally, and I know she would never do anything inappropriate toward me. Regardless of her...p-possible feelings." He could not believe he actually stuttered the last word.

Was it really that inconceivable? Sally was a young lady, perfectly capable of liking a man, and she likely wasn't exposed to many men, so maybe she could have been attracted to the first...handsome man she saw and interacted with?

Or was he just in denial, because he didn't want one of the only true friends he'd ever have, and female no less, after him as well?

Then again, if Sally was indeed infatuated with him, she seemed very shy and modest about it, and even very smart.

But those moments they had... She seemed... And yet he was far from opposed to them...

Jack shook those thoughts from his mind, especially since his father was speaking to him again.

"All right then, Jack." Frederick sighed, standing from his desk. "You should go and join Marina then. Dinner will be soon."

"Yes, Father." Jack stood from the chair before his father's desk and left the room.

Sighing to himself, Frederick looked to a painted portrait of his family on the wall, wondering just what to do about all of this. Being King, he was expected to have all the answers. But in this case, he had none. It perturbed him.

Most of all, he could see now that Jack and Sally were very much attracted to each other. He had not seen sparks between two people, not like this, in who-knows-how-long. Whatever it was, it was severely lacking between Jack and Marina. As much as he hated to admit it, the two of them had about as much chemistry as two pumpkins sitting next to each other in the pumpkin patch.

The unexpected calamity had come. Jack and Sally were falling in love, whether or not they knew it. Jack and Marina were merely content with being just friends.

The King sighed. While he wanted his son to be happy, and even to fall in love, some things just weren't that simple.

XXX

The very next day, after a quick lunch, was when the Finkelsteins were heading home. It had been quite a visit for all of them, to be sure.

Especially for Jack and Sally. The entire morning, the two just couldn't keep their eyes away from each other. In fact, ever since the families met up for breakfast, they didn't stray more than ten feet away from each other the rest of the morning. That of course, did not go unnoticed by the parents, or Marina. The latter of the bunch being more than happy to encourage it, while the parents wished they could do something about it.

So, out at the front entrance, they were all saying their goodbyes. Dr. Finkelstein and Jewel bid their farewells to their friends the King and Queen, and soon got into the carriage, waiting for their daughter and creation to come along.

Marina smiled as she shook Jack's hand. "Well Jack, it was great to finally meet you. I hope you have a good day."

Smiling, Jack nodded as he shook her hand back. "Same to you, Marina. And good luck to you, as well, if you know what I mean."

The Finkelstein heiress nodded. "Thanks a lot, Jack. Oh, and I have an idea." She lowered her voice. "I know you probably want to keep in contact with Sally, don't you? Well, I have a plan. Write letters to her, but address them to me. I'll give her the letters, and she can write back to you, and I'll send them to you under my name. Mom and Dad and your parents won't suspect a thing if they see our names on the envelopes!"

Jack blinked, utterly astonished by her plan. He had not thought of it. He had wanted to keep in contact with Sally so much, but had no idea how to do that. But Marina had come up with a brilliant idea that seemed perfectly foolproof. He smiled nodding. "That would be great, Marina. Thank you very much for this."

"Hey, no problem." Marina winked. "I'm just glad you guys are friends! Well...okay, just one hug, to appease the folks. I'll keep my parents distracted, so you can hug Sally all you like."

Jack looked away bashfully, but he nodded and gave her a friendly, but kind of awkward hug. She hugged him back, and they held it for a few seconds before releasing each other.

"Marina, really, thank you for everything." Jack smiled.

"You're welcome, Jack. And thank you too, for making my sister happier than she's ever been." Marina winked at him again, before she grabbed her carry-on bag, heading down to the carriage.

Sally stood a few feet away, having just finished loading the bags into the carriage, and rubbed her arm nervously. Jack approached her, feeling the sense of dread within him. He was going to miss her so much.

"Well, Sally...I suppose this is goodbye for now." He said softly, looking away a bit.

"...Yes, I suppose it is..." Sally murmured. "Jack...I...I... I had a lovely time. Thank you for everything..."

"No, thank _you_, Sally." Jack held her hands in his, and smiled, though sadly. "I've really enjoyed having you around so much. You're a wonderful friend to me. ...I'll miss you very much."

Sally blushed, and stepped a little closer to him. "...I'll miss you too, Jack. I've really liked...spending time with you."

Jack positively beamed, and then drew her into a gentle hug. Sally's eyes went wide, and her cheeks were now full flush. But she hugged him back, gripping his pinstripe suit a little tightly.

A rush of emotion and feeling coursed through Jack's bones as he held the rag doll to him gently, but with a fairly firm grip. There was something so wonderful about hugging her, that he didn't want to let her go. He even coursed his bony fingers through her soft hair...oh, it was so soft! He could touch it for all time... He was really going to miss his little friend. She was such a joy, bringing such warm sunshine into his life. How she smiled all the time, her big wide eyes looking curious and insightful, the way she laughed, spoke, and even sang... She was such a beautiful creature in every way. Did she not know how infectious she was?

Before Jack could stop himself, he pulled back, and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. He wasn't sure what came over him, or why he did that, but it felt nothing short of natural to do. "Goodbye, Sally..."

"Goodbye, Jack..." Sally said softly, her voice breaking.

The two let go of each other, and though they lingered for a few moments more, it seemed all too soon when Sally broke into a run for the carriage, her eyes squeezing shut. She climbed inside, sitting next to her sister.

Jack stood there, his parents standing a few steps above him, as he mournfully watched the carriage ride up toward the main gate. It wasn't long before it disappeared around the corner, and was gone out of sight.

He sighed, and turned to head back inside the mansion, not at all saying a word to either of his parents.


	6. Letters

**:D Here we go, people! Making progress! ;) And you know, I nearly forgot to add the royal ball to the story! XDXDXD Ain't I dumb? Luckily, I remembered. ;)**

**So here we go! :D**

* * *

><p><em>I certainly hope this will work out...<em> Jack thought as he tapped his quill pen against the piece of paper thoughtfully. Normally he would use the royal stationary, but he decided to keep it simple and use regular paper.

As he finished his letter to Sally, he took another piece of paper, and wrote a separate letter to Marina. Once he finished that, he placed the papers inside of a spidery web envelope, addressed it, and placed a pumpkin stamp on it. He smiled. It was perfect. No one would suspect a thing.

Jack stood from his desk in the observatory tower, and headed downstairs. Normally, he'd ask the royal messenger to deliver a letter he or his parents had written, but again, he wanted to keep it simple. He'd go out himself and find a post box. Couldn't be more simple.

"Where are you off to, son?" Frederick queried as he walked by, sitting his son at the front door.

"I'm going to mail a letter to-Marina, Father." Jack told him cheerfully.

Frederick smiled. "I see. That's good then. You're mailing it yourself? Are you sure you don't want the royal messenger to deliver it?"

"No, I want to keep it simple." Jack shook his head. "After all, I think he has enough on his hands delivering all those royal ball invites."

Chuckling, Frederick nodded. "I suppose that's true. All right then, carry on, Jack." He smiled and then headed into the other room.

Jack stepped outside, shutting the door behind him, and headed down the steps toward the front walk. It had been two days since the Finkelsteins had left, and in honesty, Jack missed Sally a lot. He was so used to her being around and being able to enjoy her company, but now that she was gone, it felt as if a part of him was lost. None the less, he didn't mope or dwell on it, he just missed her. And yes, he did also miss Marina. Despite that they didn't have romantic compatibility, he did still like her and did enjoy her company. He just hoped they were doing all right.

There was also the subject of the royal ball. The invite that was to be sent to the Finkelsteins was also going to be delivered, and he had added to the invite that Sally be present as well. His parents were reluctant, but agreed since it would've been nice for the entire Finkelstein family to be there. He smiled at the thought.

Jack went through the gate, went along the curving, downward walk and came out onto the street in town. Conveniently, there was a post box right at the corner of the street. He chuckled, finding it funny how he had seen it several times before but never quite took notice of it.

He sauntered over to it, and placed the envelope into the slot. There. With a bounce in his step, he turned to head on back.

"Mornin', Jack!" The Mayor greeted as he drove up in his hearse, waving at him.

"Hello, Mayor!" Jack smiled, waving at him.

"Your father wouldn't happen to be in today, would he?"

"He is, actually. You can go see him!"

"Many thanks, Jack!" The Mayor tipped his impossibly pointy hat before he rode on, going through the nearby gate up to the mansion.

Jack smiled, and then glanced toward the mailbox one more time before he then made his way up to the mansion as well.

* * *

><p>"Ooooh, a letter from Jack!" Marina said loudly so that her parents would hear. "I think I'll go read it right now!"<p>

She grinned to herself as she slipped over to Sally's room. Her plan had worked! Jack wrote a letter after all, and went along with her plan!

Upon entering her sister's room, Marina smiled as she saw her stitching on a scarf and staring out the window with a longing, wistful, and yet...soft loving look on her face.

"Hey Sally, you have a minute?"

Sally looked over at Marina before she nodded, placing her stitching aside. "Yes, what is it, Marina?"

"Well my dear, I have a surprise for you!" Marina grinned, and opened the envelope. She took out the letters, keeping the one for herself, and handing the other to Sally. "Jack wrote a letter to you!"

"He...he did?" Sally blinked, taking the letter carefully, as if afraid it would break. "I...I...I don't believe it...but...the envelope is addressed to you."

"I know." Marina winked. "That's all part of my plan! I told him that he could send you letters, but disguising them as being letters to me, so that no one would suspect a thing! So now, you can write letters back to him, and I'll send them back in my name. See? So because of that, our parents will think he and I are writing letters to each other, and no one will be any the wiser!"

While Sally didn't like sneaking around or lying to her creators, as well as the royal family, she couldn't help but muse at how this was a brilliant idea. She then realized that this letter, this piece of paper...was touched by Jack's hands, and he had written her a letter. A letter for her! Her first letter ever received.

Gathering herself, she read the letter.

_**Dear Sally,**_

_**How are you? I hope you're doing well. I've missed you quite a lot since you all went home, to be honest, but I hope you're doing all right. As for me, there isn't much to report, aside from the preparations for the royal ball. It's always hectic, to be sure!**_

_**Anyway, so I'm sure Marina filled you in on her little idea, didn't she? I have to say, it was quite brilliant! Sneaky, and maybe I'm none too fond about lying, but at least it helps us keep in touch.**_

Sally smiled to herself, finding it pretty interesting how they were thinking the same thing about the subject.

_**I do miss you, as I said, and I enjoyed your company very much during the visit. I hope to see you again sometime, of course! You take care of yourself, Sally. Have a good day, and I hope to hear from you.**_

_**Sincerely yours,  
>Jack<strong>_

"Oh..." Sally murmured, re-reading the letter at least three times.

Marina giggled, and peeked over her shoulder to read. "Awww! Isn't he sweet? That's great he wrote to you! So, you going to write back to him?"

Sally gave a little nod. "Yes..."

"Awesome! You just let me know when you're done! I'll go get an envelope ready to mail." Marina said, winking at her before leaving the room.

For a few moments, Sally gently held the letter against herself, and reveling in the sweet comfort it brought. He still wanted to see her again! Just as she did him. She only hoped _something_ could be done about that.

Sally then knelt down on the floor, and removed a loose floorboard, revealing a small compartment, where she kept her little treasures. She took a box from her bedside drawer that she wasn't using for anything else, and then gently folded the letter, placing it inside. Now it would be a safe place where she could cherish it always. She replaced the lid, and then placed the box into the floor, replacing the floorboard.

She then sat at her desk, took some stationary, and her quill pen, and began to write a letter back to him.

It was amazing, how her first trip out of the house had come to this. She had made a friend. A wonderful, dear friend. Sally felt happier than she ever had in her entire existence. Someone...accepted her, and liked her as she was. All her existence, she had wanted to be accepted out there, seen as a person with things to say. And it happened. Jack was the first person ever to reach out to her, and had done nothing but treat her with kindness and respect, as well as making her feel like she was any other good person he knew. That made her so happy. Sure, she was friends with royalty, but that didn't matter to her. She was friends with Jack Skellington, the person behind the handsome looks and the royal title. He was wonderful, and she adored him so.

That of course brought up a factor she had now accepted, but still could not believe. She was indeed attracted to him. At the same time, she feared it would only prove that she was just like his other fangirls. Take one look at him and instantly you wanted to worship the ground he walked on.

But Sally didn't, at least she hoped, fall into that. While she was shy and overwhelmed by him at first, even that just attributed to the fact that she was isolated and never really met people, so he could've been _anyone_ for that matter. She wasn't sure how his fangirls treated him, but she hoped that he didn't consider her one of them. At least, considering he was aware of her attraction to him. She hoped he wasn't.

That also raised the problem of the fact that Marina was betrothed to him. While Marina didn't seem at all bothered by the two interacting and spending time together (in fact, she outright encouraged it!) in the least, it was her parents who definitely would have something to say about that. And what if Jack fell in love with Marina? She couldn't imagine how heartbroken he would be if he knew about the fact that she had a secret lover.

At the same time, Sally couldn't help but really like the feeling. It felt really nice to be so attracted to someone. The warm, sweet feeling of liking someone so much, reminiscing of good moments together, thinking of that person with fond happiness, and just hoping to see them again. Jack was even such a great person to be attracted to, on top of that. It wasn't just the feeling itself, it was also the very object of those feelings.

Sally sighed dreamily to herself as she composed her letter to him, hoping against all hope that she wouldn't slip and write something embarrassing.

* * *

><p>"Master Jack, there's a letter for you. From Miss Marina Finkelstein." Marcus said as he handed Jack an envelope from the pile of envelopes he had.<p>

"Really?" Jack placed his book aside and took the letter from him. "Ah, splendid! Thank you very much, Marcus."

Marcus smiled at him before he exited the room so that he could read the letter in private.

Jack opened the envelope, producing two letters. One from Marina, and the other from Sally. He read over Marina's first.

_**It worked, Jack! She wrote you a letter, which I of course included, and she's in on our plan now. So far it's worked great! Thanks for doing this. You can't imagine how great it feels to see the bright smile on her face when she saw you wrote to her.**_

_**I won't keep you any longer, go read Sally's letter right now!**_

_**Have a good day, Jack! Take care!**_

_**Your friend,  
>Marina<strong>_

Smiling, Jack mumbled a soft thanks to Marina before gently placing her letter aside, and then focused his attention on Sally's letter. He felt his inexistent heart pound with anticipation, eager to see what she had to say.

_**Dear Jack,**_

_**I first want to thank you so much for writing to me. I would never have thought it possible, all things considered, but I am so very happy you did. I have to honestly say that it made my day. Hearing from you was a very lovely treat.**_

Jack beamed happily. He had made her day, and made her feel happy! That was such a great feeling. He sighed dreamily, admiring her neat handwriting before continuing.

_**I'm doing very well, and I'm very glad to hear you're doing good, also. Just the other day I started making a scarf. My mother knits, and she did teach me to knit, which has been pretty easy, but I decided to try making a scarf by stitching and using my sewing machine. So far, it has come along very nicely. I'm pretty pleased with the overall progress, and the fabric I'd chosen for it.**_

_**Oh, I'm sorry for rambling about that. I'm not trying to brag, honest.**_

Jack chuckled, shaking his head. "You're not bragging, Sally..." He murmured, despite she wasn't there to hear him.

_**Anyway, I hope that this letter reaches you safely. I miss you very much too, and I hope to see you again somehow. Your company was very much a wonderful joy for me, and I hope we can see each other again.**_

_**Thank you so very much for your letter, and your friendship. It all means the world to me.**_

_**Take care, Jack. **_

_**Sincerely,  
>Sally<strong>_

The grin on Jack's face only grew as he re-read her letter, and then sighed dreamily yet again. "Oh, dearest Sally..."

He could not believe just how happy he felt that she wrote back to him! How this horribly wonderful piece of Halloween stationary had been touched by her delicate, but strong little hands, and written with so much care. What sweet words she had written, and even shared her progress on a scarf she was making! Her selflessness and apologetic nature even came through, which was amusing and pretty adorable, even if it was not necessary for her to apologize.

Jack gently folded the letter, and then went to the observatory to put it in a safe place. He would surely cherish all of her letters, having promised himself to do that if she wrote to him. She was just that precious.

That done, he went to work on composing another letter to her.

* * *

><p>"Sally! Get the mail at once!" Dr. Finkelstein told the rag doll at the breakfast table.<p>

"Yes, Doctor." Sally sighed, getting up and leaving the kitchen to fetch the mail outside.

When she opened the door, she was greeted by the Royal Messenger.

"Good day, Miss!" The Royal Messenger bowed. He was a wolfman. "I have an important invitation from the Skellington Royal family!" He reached into his large parcel, and handed her a royally stamped envelope.

"Oh, thank you!" Sally smiled, and realized this must have been the invitation to the Royal Ball. She offered him five souls as a tip. "Here you go, sir."

"Much obliged, Miss!" The Royal messenger tipped his hat to her before he headed off on his route.

Sally waved after him before she went to the end of the front walk to the mailbox. The flag was up, indicating there was some mail. She opened it, pulled out the letters inside, closed it, and lowered the flag. For a moment she rifled through the letters, and her eyes instantly lit up upon seeing a letter from Jack.

Going back inside, Sally handed the letter to her sister (who winked at her), and then handed the other letters, as well as the invitation, to her creator.

"Ah, marvellous! The invitation to the ball has arrived!" Dr. Finkelstein put his cup of pumpkin juice aside and proceeded to open up the invitation.

"Has it now? What does it say?" Jewel asked as she turned from the stove.

"Let's have a look..." Dr. Finkelstein took the letter out, and adjusted his glasses to read it out loud. "_**To the Mr. Or Mrs. Of the Finkelstein Household, you are cordially invited to the Royal Ball in honour of the betrothal of our very Prince, Jack Skellington, and the lovely Miss Marina Finkelstein, heiress to the Finkelstein family. **_Heh heh, of course!"

Marina just sighed a bit, managing a small smile.

"_**There will be a wondrous set of ballroom dancing, alongside a band, and many kinds of refreshments. The ball will take place upon April 16**__**th**__**, at 7:30, in the grand ballroom of Skellington Mansion. All guests must present their invitation...**_ And all of that... Hmm? What's this? A message from Fred himself? ...Urgh. _**As a special request from the Royal Family, we wish that all members of your family be present.**_"

Marina perked at this, as did Sally.

"Then that means...I can go too!" Sally exclaimed, unable to help herself.

"Hey, wow! Even better!" Marina smiled.

Dr. Finkelstein clearly looked like he was about to rip the letter to shreds, and Jewel just gave a sigh.

"Well, we can't exactly go against the wishes of Frederick or Patricia like that." Jewel finally said. "We may as well comply."

"YES!" Marina squealed. "Sally! You get to go too! That's wonderful! Now come on, we're going to find a dress for you!" She winked at her in secret again before pulling her out of the kitchen.

"Um...sure?" Sally blinked, allowing herself to be pulled to her sister's room.

Once inside Marina's enormous room (compared to Sally's), the heiress plopped Sally onto her bed and went over to her huge walk-in closet.

"Here, you read the letter while I pick out some options for you!" She said.

"Um...all right." Sally opened the envelope, feeling strange for doing so since the letter was not addressed in her name specifically. But the contents were.

The letter, written in Jack's spidery handwriting read,

_**Dearest Sally,**_

_**Did your family get the invitation to the ball? Well, because whether or not you have, I have news! I had convinced my parents to allow you to be invited! You are still a member of the Finkelstein family, so why not?**_

_**I know it may seem crazy, and I do apologize if you had not wanted to. All I can say is that I had hoped to dance with you at the ball, even just once. So, if you do decide to go, I hope to see you! If you choose not to, Sally, I will understand completely.**_

Sally was shocked. He was actually apologizing for inviting her to the ball, because he wanted her there...and to dance with him? She wanted to _melt!_

_**It's completely up to you, I will not hold it against you if you say no.**_

_**Anyway, I'm very glad to hear you're doing all right! Things are looking up, and the ball is now a few days away. I will sure be glad when it's over, since that will be the final "major" event about everything. After it's all over, hopefully I'll have more time to pursue certain things.**_

_**Especially seeing you more, as well! If you'll have me.**_

_**I hope you take care of yourself, dear Sally. And I hope you say yes to coming to the ball!**_

_**You have a horribly lovely day.**_

_**Sincerely yours,  
>Jack<strong>_

So it really hadn't been a mistake, Jack did indeed request that she be invited to the ball. Since she was, there was no way she would turn it down! While she wasn't the kind of girl who liked glitz and glamour, she did definitely want to be there to see her dear friend. To think he wanted her to be there!

Sally smiled to herself, making her decision. She was going to the ball. After all, she would get to meet a lot of people, and even further immerse herself into being a true citizen of the town. To truly be accepted and seen not as a maid hiding in the background, but a young woman like any other around. It was a perfect opportunity.

Even better, she would get to see Jack some more and spend time with him. Granted, at the moments he would make time for her. She wouldn't dream of hogging up all of his time when he had others who she was sure wanted to see him, and who he wanted to see, as well as Marina.

"Okay, Sally! I've got some ideas for you." Marina pulled out some dresses for her. "I know, I know you prefer to make your own, but this is a special occasion! For once, you can indulge. But hey, all the more reason to plan to make yourself a nice party dress!" She laid them out on the bed for her. "All right, so take your pick!"

Nodding, Sally scanned the dresses, unsure of what to pick. A couple of them she licked, and others...she had to wonder why seemed a little less appropriate than she liked. Shorter skirts, or lower necklines...she didn't go for those at all.

"Um...I think that one there might work." Sally pointed to one.

Marina grinned. "I was actually hoping you'd say that. With this, Sally, I'll make you into the belle of the ball."


	7. Royal Ball

**The night of the ball! OwO Also where romantic tension escalates! Oh boy! :D**

**Again, not much else to say, but I hope you enjoy the chapter none the less. :)**

**Oh! And the position Jack and Sally dance in, is based on their dance from **_**Kingdom Hearts 2**_**. :)**

* * *

><p>"It's going to be FINE, Sally. I promise. You are going to knock Jack dead undead!" Marina assured. "I guarantee it, spared no expense."<p>

Sally sighed, feeling very nervous. "Okay, Marina... I'll do what I can...to put my best foot foward."

"Atta girl! Remember, just _be yourself_ to the people you meet." Marina told her once more.

The two girls were in the ballroom, with the Royal Ball already in full swing. Wherever Jack was, neither of them could see him. Other than a speech both Jack and Marina had to give, there wasn't much else stopping them from mingling and exploring the room a bit, or even just going outside for some air when needed. There was a brass, percussion and wind band playing some very spooky but melodious waltz music up on the stage, a long table with little treats being served, and of course the moonlight pouring in through the grand, enormous windows.

The ballroom itself was huge, the entire wing taking up the entire width of the mansion itself, and had a very gothic, dark one, and yet it was majestic and regal at the same time. Blood red curtains, dark stone walls, a gothic chandelier, white marble flooring with bloody red patterns along some areas, and a cathedral ceiling.

"Oh! There's Jack!" Marina suddenly piped up again, taking her sister's wrist. "Oooh, he looks handsome! You know, from a general standpoint!" She winked at Sally.

Before Sally could respond, Marina proceeded to immediately drag her over to the Pumpkin Prince.

"Hey, Jack! There you are!" Marina greeted him casually. "Look who's here!"

"Hello there, Marina!" He turned around to face them completely. Upon seeing her, Jack beamed. "Sally! You made it after...all..."

Needless to say, Jack was speechless. Sally was so _beautiful_. So hauntingly beautiful.

She wore a purple satin ballgown, with a low but modest neckline, short ruffled sleeves, white elbow-length gloves, black ballet flats, and some silver jewelry. Her hair was done in ruffled, wavy, slightly curled bob along her shoulders and down her back, the soft yarn having so much volume. Light makeup accentuated her features, especially on her lips, with red lipstick applied to them to make them look redder, a bit bloodier. Yet again, her stitches only added to how lovely she looked, giving her a spooky, haunting, but beautiful feel to her.

Yet again, reminisced of the first time they all had dinner together, Jack just couldn't take his eyes off her. If Sally wasn't the belle of the ball, then to him, she most definitely was. But then, while she was beautiful, it simply didn't overshadow the fact that Sally herself, the wonderful person behind all this haunting beauty, was here. She had come to the ball! He was so happy for that, it was a wonder he didn't take her into his arms and hug her tight, twirling her around in a fit of happy joy!

"I...you...we...I..." Jack stammered, unable to formulate any coherent words at all.

Marina giggled, whispering to Sally. "It worked! He's so speechless!"

"Um...well I..." Sally was unsure how to respond to that. Jack was really that speechless? Sure, when she saw herself in the mirror before leaving the house, after Marina was done with her makeup and hair...she was taken aback as well. "Jack...?" She said softly.

"...Beautiful..." Jack murmured softly, a goofy grin coming to his face. He immediately took both of Sally's hands in his, sighing happily. "Oh Sally, you look absolutely beautiful! And you came tonight after all...I'm so happy you did, it's wonderful to finally see you again!"

Sally blushed, managing a shy smile. "I...I'm happy to see you too, Jack... You look...very handsome..." She looked away shyly as she said this.

And he did, indeed! If he didn't look handsome before, oh, he sure did now. He wore a pure black suit, not at all unlike his usual dapper pinstriped suit. The bat bowtie, however, was a blood red version. Along with the getup was a black cape, lined with blood red silk along the interior.

Jack chuckled and smiled bashfully at her. "Thank you, Sally...it's not much, but I suppose I wanted to rise to the occasion!"

"And you sure did, Jack! You're looking pretty dreadful, if you don't mind my saying." Marina put in, grinning. She looked around for a moment, and her eyes widened as she spotted...Spencer.

Spencer was holding a tray of champagne in fine chalices, and he looked over at her. He smiled. She smiled back. No words were said, but all that needed to be said was in their expressions.

Marina sighed then, and knew what she had to do first before she was at all "free" this evening. She turned to Jack, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Jack...let's just get it over with. We'd better dance." Marina said with remorse, and turned to Sally. "Sorry Sally, I have to steal him away for a minute." She then lowered her voice. "Just once dance, and it's not like I want to. It's all part of this stupid ball thing, the fact that he and I have to have our first dance together. It's just to appease our parents and the crowd and all that. But after I'm done, I promise you that he's all yours. Okay?"

Sally gave a little nod. "Of course, Marina." She also recalled that there must have been plenty of other women who would have died at the chance to dance with him...who was she to hog all of his attention?

Marina smiled. "All right then. And don't be sad, Sally. After all, the only reason he's so happy tonight is because _you're_ here."

With that, she followed Jack out onto the main dance floor, both of them going at it with reluctance. The crowd, some dancing and some not, watched them as the betrothed pair bowed to each other once, and then assumed the waltz position with each other. And then they danced, and danced.

From a general standpoint, in the matter of their dancing, it was spectacular. Their movement and timing to the music and its rhythm was phenomenal by all means. It was amazing to all who observed.

However, if you really looked, you could see that there was clearly no sparks or passion between them at all. They may as well have been electronic dancing figurines on a music box, for that matter. Sure, they were smiling kindly at each other and seemed to be content, but that was it. There was nothing further than that. Many didn't notice, others simply refused to acknowledge it as they wanted this "perfect couple" together no matter what, and others did notice it and felt pity toward them.

To anyone really paying attention, you could clearly see they weren't in love.

Much to the chagrin of the King and Queen, as well as the Finkelstein parents.

After the dance was over, Jack performed the custom of kissing Marina's hand. Then the two bowed to each other once more before parting ways.

Jack smiled to himself as he recalled the last thing Marina said before they went their separate ways.

"_Go on Jack, Sally's waiting for you. And by the way, she's all yours this evening. Don't worry about me."_

When he found her, his bright smiling face became a frown.

She was not alone.

His dreaded rival, Lord Barkis, was speaking to her.

Determined, Jack marched over to them.

"And truly, my dear, if there's anyone in this place worth dancing with, it's you, for sure." Barkis said with such smooth, unyielding charm. "So what say you, my dear? Would you honour me with a dance?"

"I...Lord Barkis, I appreciate your offer, but I would rather not." Sally said simply. This man was charming, and had such debonair, but she honestly didn't feel comfortable around him. She didn't know why.

"But why?" Barkis looked a bit alarmed, and smiled, though it was more of a smirk. "There is no reason we cannot dance, my dear."

"I'm just not in the mood to dance right now, Lord Barkis." Sally said evenly.

"Come now dear, won't you please-"

"_Barkis_. Sally has said that she doesn't want to dance with you. I wonder what could possibly be so terrible about respecting her wishes."

Sally looked visibly relieved, and Barkis sneered at him.

"Caring about what a woman wants, Jack? You were always such a goody-two-shoes. Fine then. But until next time, my dear." Barkis smirked and kissed Sally's hand before traipsing off.

Jack glared after him, and then his gaze softened as he turned to Sally. "Are you all right, Sally? I'm very sorry about him. He's...quite a pompous, pretentious and very egotistical...being."

"I'm fine, Jack... Don't worry." Sally murmured, looking away. "...Jack, was I really wrong to refuse and not give him a chance?"

Surprised, Jack shook his head and held her hands in his. "Sally... Don't ever doubt yourself about that. You shouldn't feel bad about saying no. You said no, and you have the right to refuse. The world will not end if you refuse someone's invitation. Yes, it is always nice to give someone a chance, but that should be a _choice_, not an _obligation_. Even so, never mind him." He smiled at her. "Speaking of...dancing... Sally, my dearest friend, would do me the honour of dancing with me?" He stood back, releasing her hands, and bowed lightly, holding one hand to her.

Touched, and so very excited, Sally blushed and gently placed her hand in his. "I'd...I'd love to, Jack..."

"Splendid!" Jack beamed happily, and held her hand gently as he led her to an obscure place along the dance floor. Yes, being the Prince, he should have gone to the central area of the ballroom, but not this time. This was not about appeasing anyone. It was about sharing a dance with someone he did care about very much.

"I don't...know how to dance... but I'll try." Sally murmured.

"Don't worry Sally, I'll lead, and you can follow along." Jack held her left hand in his right, placing his right around her waist.

Sally blushed more, and then placed her free hand on his forearm as she nodded. "All right, Jack...I...I trust you."

Jack felt touched and as if his bones were melting from the pure sweetness of her words. "...Thank you, Sally. I'm so very happy to hear that. You're in good hands, I promise."

The music began, and that was when the two slowly began to dance. Yes, Sally's movements were a little clumsy, being a rag doll and all, but she didn't step on his feet, thankfully. So their movements were a bit off, but she followed along with him as best as she could. So far, it seemed to be going all right.

"You're doing just fine, Sally..." Jack said softly.

Once again, Sally blushed. "Thank you, Jack."

A few attendees noticed them, and couldn't help but watch. Their dancing was nowhere near as perfect as when Jack danced with Marina, but it didn't matter. If anything, there were many sparks and passion between them. Jack and Sally never once took their smiling gazes off of each other, and seemed to be off in their own little world as they danced.

Marina, now dancing happily with Spencer, couldn't help but glance over at the two as they danced. She smiled. There was clearly so much love and sparks between them, she saw it clearly. Finished with her observation, she resumed dancing with her secret lover.

Frederick and Patricia noticed, of course, their son dancing with Sally. Much to their dismay yet again, they could clearly see that the two were completely happy to dance together. The sparks and romantic tension between them was so thick, you could slice it with a dagger.

They exchanged glances with one another, and exhaled.

"I can only surmise that Jack is falling in love with her." Patricia said softly.

Frederick nodded. "I'm afraid you're right, my dear. She clearly feels the same way, as well."

The Queen placed her hand on her husband's shoulder, observing their son for a moment longer, and then looking at him yet again. "Dear...she isn't even a true Finkelstein...being a created rag doll."

"I know of that...Finkelstein did a fine job creating her and building her up to be a strong, intelligent young lady. But she is indeed, just now a maid to them." The King sighed then. "...This was a mistake. Jack and Marina clearly have no chemistry or desire for one another. Jack and Sally...they definitely are falling in love. Whether we like it or not."

"That's very true. But what can we do? Jack will surely be unhappy if he and Marina marry, but there is no other choice."

"I'm afraid not, my dear. I wish Jack could be happy, but I'm afraid it isn't that simple. ...Breaking family tradition is just not something I can allow."

The King and Queen embraced each other, trying hard to seek solace from this dilemma. They felt like the enemy, tyrants for not allowing their son to truly be with the woman he loved, whether or not he realized it. And it hurt them very much inside.

Back over with Jack and Sally, the two continued to dance, just lost in each other. Sally couldn't stop smiling, neither could Jack.

Overall, Sally felt as if she were in some kind of euphoric paradise. She never would've thought that dancing with someone could have her feeling this way. With Jack, she just felt so warm, so safe, so _happy_. Even the simplest things done between them, like reading a book together, was nothing short of a sweet joy. This was certainly no different.

Jack felt the exact same way. Being with Sally, and now _dancing_ with Sally, was far beyond what he could imagine. He loved dancing with her. He loved being with her. He loved-

The song ended.

Very much disappointed, but trying to hide it, the two separated and smiled at each other more.

"Thank you so much for the dance, Sally." Jack said sweetly, and took her hand, kissing the back of it tenderly.

"No...thank you, Jack." Sally beamed at him, blushing from his kiss to her hand. "I had a lovely dance with you..."

"I did as well, and I..." Jack took her hands in his, gazing at her with a longing gaze.

"Excuse me." A humanoid bat woman cut in between them, taking Jack into a dancing pose. "_I'm_ next to dance with him."

"And then me!" Said another woman, standing nearby.

Sally felt her heart drop, if she had one, as she now saw several women circling them, all waiting for their turn to dance with him. She mumbled a soft apology before walking off, feeling utterly embarrassed.

"Sally!" Jack called after her, trying to stop her.

"Forget her, Princey-poo." The bat woman cooed sweetly. "Dance with meee..."

Jack cringed, and then sighed heavily. Normally, he would've been mildly annoyed but would humour them. This time, however, he was just about ready to tell them off and that they don't bother him again. Unfortunately, Jack was too nice and too much of a gentleman to do a thing like that.

* * *

><p>Sally had gone outside to a balcony just off and around the corner to the ballroom. She had just danced with Jack...and then plenty of other women who clearly wanted their chance to dance not only witnessed, but wanted her out of the way.<p>

On one hand, she felt bad. There had to be at least one girl who really wanted to dance with him, but was so shy and soft, and just couldn't bear to be a burden...but went for it anyway.

On the other hand...she felt a strange surge of jealousy. Pure envy.

Sally sighed. She didn't know what to think anymore. Part of why she was here was to be accepted...and she just undermined her very goal, and felt absolutely stupid for it. And already she wanted to give up, without even trying. How pathetic. If anyone heard her story now, they would scoff.

"What am I even doing..." Sally sighed, hugging herself, rubbing her arms with her gloved hands. "Marina...and even all those other women deserve Jack." She felt so naive for saying that, but else was there?

"Sally!"

A shiver ran up Sally's spine, and she slowly turned around. Sure enough, Jack was now walking toward her, looking concerned, but relieved. Had he really come out looking for her? How long was she out here? Long enough to make someone worry? Or did he just decide to come outside mere minutes after she left?

Nothing was certain by this point.

"Jack? ...Jack, why are you out here?" Sally felt herself backing up a step, only to come against the stone railing. "Shouldn't you be inside?"

"Yes, but I was worried. And I suppose...I wanted some air as well." Jack came over to her, gently holding her hands in his own. "Is something wrong, Sally?"

"...No, no...I just wanted some air." Sally told the half-truth. "How did you know I was here...?"

"I asked Marina, she said she saw you go out the door that leads out here." Jack explained. "Sally...are you nervous? I mean, I know how shy and soft-spoken you are, and not entirely comfortable with huge crowds, but you are still a brave and very strong girl...I never doubted that about you."

Sally blushed, and she looked down at their hands shyly.

"But, if this is too much for you, I understand." Jack assured her.

"No! No... Jack, I wanted to be here, I wanted to...to try to fit in with everyone, to truly feel accepted by others." Sally said softly, now looking up at him. "And I...I...I wanted to see you. ...I've missed you."

"...Sally..." Jack murmured, and then gently brought her into an embrace. "I've missed you too. And you are the sweetest woman I know... Anyone would be lucky to know you, to be your friend. I think you'll make friends in no time!"

Sally felt her cheeks heat up more, as well as the wonderful feelings of joy spreading within her body, like blood coursing through veins, if she had any. Her stuffing seemed to flutter in happiness as she embraced Jack in return, holding on tight, but gently, as if afraid he would disappear if she let go. "Jack..." She murmured softly.

A sweeping warmth and happiness coursed through Jack's bones as he embraced her, and gently ran his fingers through her soft yarn hair. The two remained this way for a few minutes, though it seemed like an eternity for them. It was at that moment, they knew all the more, that they were indeed attracted to each other, though the other was oblivious to it.

An idea then came to Jack as he pulled back just ever so slightly to look down at her with a tender smile. "Sally...will you dance with me again?"

"Out...out here?" Sally blinked at this idea. "But...there's no music."

_Only the music I hear in my heart when I'm with you._ Jack thought, nearly saying, but decided not to. "It doesn't matter, we can just pretend." He stood back, and bowed over slightly, taking her hand and kissing it. "Dearest Sally, will you dance with me?" He asked once more.

Unable to refuse, Sally gave a nod. "Yes, Jack... I will."

Smiling widely, Jack gently pulled her in close, resuming the same waltz position as they had before. Sally blushed, realizing that they were dancing outside, in the night, and alone. Alone. With neither of the prying eyes of their families, or the other attendees. It was just the two of them, alone. She felt nervous, but strangely, so comforted and confident.

If anyone could see them now, once again the dancing was a bit off due to Sally's missteps and mild imbalances. But it went as smooth as it could, and flowed all right, even to the unheard music. No sound was heard, except for a wolf howl in the distance.

Jack yet again felt as if he were in some kind of a paradise, a paradise consisting of just the two of them. What a wonderful place it would be! Dancing with Sally was nothing short of wonderful. How beautiful she looked the way she smiled at him right back, seemed so shy and small, but so adorable. Her cheeks were even dusted with blush, and there was just nothing cuter than a blushy Sally. She was so soft, so sweet, so innocent, so kind, so gentle, and such a lovely lady who could come off to be so hauntingly beautiful, and yet sweetly adorable at the same time.

Try as he may, Jack just could not imagine his life without her. At times he wondered where she had been all this time. But it didn't matter, because she as here now, and he hoped it would stay that way. She was, quite simply, a ray of warm sunshine in his world, something bright and beautiful he never would have imagined, and yet, now seeing and feeling for the first time, was something he could never imagine not ever having seen.

Sally, meanwhile, simply felt the same way he did. Dancing with him alone in the night, with no one watching, was a beautiful moment she knew she would never forget. Every moment with Jack was a sweet miracle, and this was no different. She was lost in him, so lost in him as her eyes never left his deep eye sockets, or his smiling face. Her own expression took on a smile she swore was to be perpetual. Oh, how she loved being with Jack so much...

It made her wish that they could spend their afterlives by each other's sides. Sally by now also, could not imagine her life without him there. There were somethings you found, saw and felt, that after you did, you could never imagine having never gone through with it. Despite the tough times, she was more than glad she got to meet him, and even become his friend...and now dance with him.

The two danced, slowly, along the stone surface of the balcony, with nothing but the sounds of the night around them.

"Sally...you're wonderful." Jack said honestly, smiling all the more.

Sally blushed, but she beamed at him with adoration. "You're wonderful, Jack..."

A few more minutes of dancing passed before the two stopped, now lowering their hands to each other's. Jack felt his bones tremble, a shiver coursing up his spine as he felt the romantic tension in the air around them. Was she feeling the same way?

They stepped closer to each other, raising their held-hands upward, gently squeezing, their eyes never leaving one another.

"Sally..." Was all Jack could say as he took in her soft, beautiful face in the moonlight. He could not take it any longer, he had to get closer to her...so close.

Nervous, but utterly enthralled, and so lost in him, Sally rose upward slightly when she saw that he was leaning down toward her more and more. Their eyes closed, their grips on each other's hands tightened ever so slightly, they stepped closer, and moreover, their mouths were very slowly just about to _finally_ meet...

"Arf! Arf! Arf!"

The two jumped apart as if they'd been shot, a little frantic for a moment as they gathered their bearings. Zero floated over to them, barking happily as his pumpkin-shaped nose was glowing brightly.

"Zero! There you are." Jack chuckled, and petted his head. "You remember Sally, don't you?"

"Arf!" Zero barked in confirmation and went over to Sally, happily panting.

"Hi there, Zero, I missed you too." Sally crouched down in front of him and pet him.

"Hey! There you guys are!"

The two looked up and saw Marina walking toward them, bringing her furry wrap around her shoulders, since it was pretty chilly outside.

"Marina? What are you doing out here?" Sally rose to stand up straight.

"You guys had been out here for quite a while, so I wanted to make sure everything was okay." Marina said honestly. Actually, it was only half the truth. She wanted to see if anything...well, happened between them.

"Oh, yes! Everything is fantastic!" Jack grinned. "We were just talking, and Zero came over here to join us."

Sally quickly nodded. "Yes, he did."

"Ah, I see." Marina smiled. "Ooh! Actually, I came out here to find you too, Sally, because I have some news! There's some people who want to meet you! I was telling some of my friends about you, right? And a few others overheard and they want to meet you! I have this joke with my friends, since they never see you, that you're just imaginary, but now I can prove that you're real! So come on! You can finally mingle and meet some people, and feel more accepted! Mind if I borrow her a few minutes, Jack?"

Sally blinked, and was really taken aback. There were people who wanted to see her? To meet her? She would finally have a chance to make herself known to people in an honest and normal way? With no hiding? No pretending she didn't exist? She was speechless.

"I don't see why not!" Jack smiled more. "Thank you Marina, that was a very lovely thing you did! In fact, I'll walk you two back inside, and see this fine people. Shall we?"

"Sure!" Marina took his hand on one side. "Come on, Sally!"

Smiling brightly, Sally took his other hand, and walked alongside them as they headed inside. This evening was just getting better and better.


	8. Revelations

**And now comes the revelations! :D Probably saw 'em coming, eh? X3**

**Bonejangles and Emily make their cameos! :D Hooray!**

**...And yes, I do actually like VictorxEmily. Shut up. Yes, I do also have a soft spot for BonejanglesxEmily too.**

* * *

><p>Two weeks had gone by since the night of the royal ball. Two weeks since the night of wonders. Two weeks since a night of something that felt like magic. While that was a weird way of putting it, it almost felt appropriate.<p>

Ever since then, a whole new set of problems arose. Beautiful problems, but problematic none the less.

On another hand, Sally did manage to meet quite a few people and even make herself known to them. Both Marina and Jack vouched for her, helping her along, but eventually it was up to her to talk to them and mingle around. It was overwhelming and scary for her at first, but eventually, she got more into it! Amazingly, in fact. While it wasn't perfect, and definitely didn't become popular overnight, but she did get her name out there and even shared her talent in being a seamstress. This of course led to some interested people offering to commission her, which surprised her, but said she would look into trying to do.

So on one rainy day, Marina traipsed off to her sister's room after she'd eaten breakfast. Sally had not come out of her room all morning, which used to be a normal occurrence, but this morning, she could feel something in the air. Especially since she had been so busy the past two weeks and hadn't had much time for her sister as she wanted. Lately too, she noticed how her parents seemed very distant with Sally all the more. Again, seemed normal, but there was something behind it all.

And she had a good feeling about what it was.

Marina opened the door, and came into Sally's room. Her sister was on her bed, with a large book on her lap, closed, and was using it as something of a lap desk as she wrote a letter. She smiled, and then stepped over to her.

"Hey Sally...you okay?"

Looking up, Sally smiled. "Yes...I'm all right. Why?"

"Nothing, just making sure you're okay. I've missed you." Marina pouted, and took the chair from the desk, sitting next to her bed on it.

"You see me every day..." Sally giggled.

"I know, but I've been so busy with all this stuff, I didn't get to see my favourite sister." Marina pouted again.

"Marina...I'm not even your sister." Sally looked down again.

"Was Daddy still going on about that?" Marina rolled her eyes. "You _are_ my sister, Sally. I don't care what Daddy or anyone else says. You may have been created as opposed to naturally conceived, but I don't care about that. I've told you before, didn't I? I don't care about any of that. You are my sister, you always have been. I love you." She placed her hand on her arm.

Touched, Sally smiled warmly, feeling quite elated. "I love you too, Marina."

Marina beamed, and then withdrew her hand. "So! You're writing to Jack, huh?"

"Yes..." Sally confessed, blushing.

"D'awww..." Marina giggled. "Speaking of...Sally, I know this is a bit of a personal question, and you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I just want to know for sure. I admit I've suspected it for a while, but again, I want to hear it from you."

"...Um...what's that?" Sally looked at her, a bit confused and curious.

"...Sally...are you in love with him?" Marina said softly, but seriously.

A jolt coursed through Sally, and a small gasp escaped her. She looked down at her letter, writing a few more words, and then signing it. She placed it aside, clasping her hands in her lap as she gathered her words. It was now or never. Time to come out with it.

"...Yes... I'm in love with Jack..." Sally said softly, not looking at her.

"Oh." Marina said, and bit her lip. She then stood up, faced Sally, then the window, and then...

She grinned.

"...Marina?" Sally finally looked at her.

"I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT!" Marina squealed, doing a little dance. "Awwwwwww! Sally, that's just wonderful! You're in love! I knew it! The way you looked at him just said EVERYTHING! Awwwwwww! You're in love, Sally! That's adorable!"

"What?" Sally was shocked at this. Her sister was _happy_ about this? She could not believe it. "Marina...Marina, please...not so loud. I don't want the Doctor to hear. And...you're not mad?"

"Daddy's in his lab, he can't hear us." Marina assured. "And Sally...why would I be mad? What are you talking about?"

"I-I thought...since you believe so much in marriage that it would bother you...and I...wasn't sure if you...well..." Sally looked down at her lap sheepishly.

"Ohhhh...you're afraid I fell in love with him!" Marina laughed. "Sally, were you even paying ATTENTION to our interactions? Jack and I...we have ZERO chemistry, sparks, nothing! No. We're just friends. Don't get me wrong, I like him a lot and consider him to be a good friend, and I can see why the ladies love him, but honestly? I'm not. He's just not the guy for _me_, you know? Besides, I still love Spencer. Yes, I know, crazy. I was in the presence of the Prince himself, and yet I didn't sway. But yes, I do love Spencer. Even if I didn't, I still wouldn't fall in love. And you know what? Jack's okay with that. I even told him about Spencer."

"You did?" Sally was wide-eyed.

"Yep! See, I wanted us to know where we stood, and made sure neither of us were leading the other on. I trusted him, and he's been good to keep his promise not to say anything. He said the same thing, he's not in love with me. And that's fine! I was glad he didn't fall in love with me! Like I said, wanted us both to know where we stood and that there wouldn't be any problems like that." Marina explained.

"...Oh..." Sally was yet again taken aback by all of this.

"...Sally..." Marina now sat down next to her on the bed and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I know what you're thinking, and how hard this is. But at the same time...Sally, you fell in love with Jack...for all the _right_ reasons! You've spent a lot of time with him, however much that you could, got to know him, and saw him as the person behind the handsome looks and the royal title. You have a certain advantage over all of his fangirls in that regard!"

Sally sighed then, rubbing her arm a bit. "It's not that, Marina... I just...he's the Prince, I'm nothing but a lowly commoner. I'm not scary, or anything. There's no way he could love me."

"Sally...don't say that! I'm pretty sure he can decide for himself how he feels about you based on a good merit! And last I checked, he was not shallow." Marina told her, grinning widely. "Frankly, I think he's _crazy_ about you! I saw him a couple of times while I was doing all those promos and stuff, and all he talked about was _you_! Anytime I mentioned your name, he would light up and he'd ask me about you! One thing is for sure, he's attracted to you."

Letting Marina's words sink in, Sally felt herself blushing all the more. Could Jack really have been attracted to her? And he talked about her? Asked about her? Marina would never lie to her, especially not about something like that.

"And on top of that, you've been nothing but yourself with him!" Marina went on. "Okay, look at it this way. Deep down, Sally, Jack is a simple guy with simple tastes! You don't need to be some kind of big extravaganza in order to get his attention! You were yourself, and frankly, I think you charmed the heck out of him!"

"M-Me? Charming?"

"Yes! You can charm Jack without even trying! I've seen the way he's just in awe over you sometimes, it's absolutely adorable!" Marina stood back up. "Seriously, I wish I could trade places with you now, Sally. You two would be such a dreadfully cute couple!"

A flutter coursed through her stuffing as Sally looked down again, playing with her hair. To think she could charm Jack...and that he and her would make a good couple somehow, it was a lot to take in. She had no idea what to think, what to expect, what to feel. Marina, though she could exaggerate, was being sincere.

Could she really have power over Jack...much like the power Jack had over her?

Marina then looked a little sad. "Still...I'm so sorry, Sally."

"Why? What are you sorry for?" Sally snapped out of her thoughts, looking to Marina with concern. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I know...but, I just...kind of wish I knew what I was getting into. What you were getting into. I wish it could have been you in my place." Marina sighed.

A part of Sally actually wished the same thing all along, despite she could barely even admit it to herself.

"You could've been so happy...you fell in love with someone wonderful, who I just bet loves you too." Marina said softly, sitting down next to Sally on her bed. "And I...I'm unintentionally standing in the way. Oh, Sally...you deserve to be happy, far more than I can say. I don't need nor want this. You should be the one at the altar with him, not me. I don't deserve him. _You_ do. After all...why should someone marry someone they don't even love...when someone they care about loves that person?" She sniffled a bit, tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Sally. I wish I could do something about this. But now all I'm doing is ruining your chances. ...After all, where else will you ever find another man like him?" She took a hankie out of the pocket of her dress and dabbed at her eyes, beginning to cry a bit.

Sally hadn't realized just how much this hurt Marina as well. She was so taken aback, she didn't know what to say, or what to do. She had hardly ever seen Marina this vulnerable before. Marina had always been a strong, caring, and very smart woman...and to see her break down in tears over something that wasn't her fault, especially when it had to do with the loss of chances of happiness toward someone she cared about...it was almost too much to take in.

"Marina..." Sally said gently, bringing her arm around her shoulder and holding her sister close. "Please don't be sad. We didn't ask for this..."

"We didn't have to." Marina sniffled. "It's just the way things happened... Oh, Sally... I'm so happy you fell in love, and yet...there's nothing we can do about it. You and Jack are perfect for each other... He and I are not. And yet who's getting married? That's just not fair. Not to you, not to any of us. I want you to be happy, Sally. I may be Marina Finkelstein, the gifted heiress..." She rolled her teary eyes at this. "But you are Sally Finkelstein, and you are just as much a family member as I am, and you deserve happiness as well."

Needless to say, Sally felt so touched. Marina really did truly care about her, and even cried at the prospect of her own little illegitimate sister losing her chances at being happy with someone she loved. She would have felt the same way if the situation was reversed, for sure.

"...Thank you, Marina... I really appreciate this." Sally said softly. "I'm not angry, and I certainly don't blame you for any of this. I know...I know you would never ruin my chances on purpose. I know I would never ruin yours like that, either."

Sniffling, Marina smiled and hugged her. "No, thank YOU, Sally. You are the sweetest, most understanding person I know. You're absolutely wonderful. ...I hope...I hope something can be done, and that you and Jack can be together. I hope we can _both_ be happy."

The sisters hugged again, and despite everything, Sally hoped as well, that they both could be happy.

* * *

><p>"Well hey! Jack...ya big ol' Prince!"<p>

Jack smiled slightly as he looked at his cousin. "Hello, Bonejangles."

"Why Jack!" Came the melodious voice of none other than Emily. She smiled as she sat beside him. "I haven't seen you in some time. I trust all is well?"

"Hello, Emily. It's lovely to see you again." Jack smiled warmly at his old friend.

Emily eyed him curiously, and then pursed her full, blue lips for a moment. "Something is troubling you, Jack."

"Exactly what I was thinkin'!" Bonejangles agreed, taking a seat on Jack's other side.

"You can tell me too, Jack." Spencer said kindly as he was tending bar. He smiled, and gave Jack a drink.

Jack wasn't a heavy drinker in the least, but he did have one drink he fancied, and liked to partake in having some at least once every few weeks. Spencer made it brilliantly, so it added to it!

"I really don't know how to say this." Jack murmured, staring down at the glass in his hand.

"Well, why don't you try to surmise what is going on?" Emily suggested. "The gist of it!"

"...I think..." Jack sighed then, still not looking at them. "...I'm in love."

Spencer, Bonejangles, and Emily were all wide-eyed and very surprised. Thankfully, no one else in the bar heard this little confession. They didn't expect to hear this at all! Well, surely, they knew Jack was more than capable of falling in love, but to see it come to fruition at such an unexpected time was really just a shocker.

"Yer serious?" Bonejangles tipped his hat. "Eh, I betcha I know who it is...yer talkin' about that rag doll you were with at the ball! What was her name again?"

"Sally." Emily told him firmly. "I remember her very well, she was quite a doll! ...If you'll pardon the pun."

"Sally? Sally Finkelstein...Marina's sister?" Spencer said, and smiled. "Hmm, I thought I noticed something between you two."

Conceding, Jack nodded. "Yes. ...Sally. Dearest Sally..." He smiled a bit more, his eye sockets all but lighting up.

"Then...I see your problem." Emily placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You love her, but due to your arranged betrothal with Marina, you are unable to do anything of it."

Jack nodded slowly. "That's exactly it."

Emily frowned, and then looked over at Spencer and Bonejangles before turning back to Jack, squeezing his shoulder.

"I know now, how you felt when it came to what happened between you and that Victor Van Dort." Jack said softly, looking toward the corpse bride.

"Yes...and I do love him still." Emily said softly.

He smiled softly, and patted her hand in comfort, as well as gratitude.

"I'm so sorry, Jack." Spencer said sympathetically. "I can only imagine how that must feel."

"No need to drown yourself in self-pity, Jack!" Bonejangles slapped his back. "Why not just have a secret affair with her?"

Both Emily and Jack did not miss the fleeting look in Spencer's eyes as their fellow skeletal friend spoke this.

"You're out of your mind." Jack simply said.

"Preposterous!" Emily shook her head. "We all know Jack has far more class than that."

"Just sayin', gives ya a chance to be with her." Bonejangles shrugged.

Jack offered his input, feeling as if he were a louse for saying this. "I won't lie. It's tempting."

"Don't listen to him." Emily said, squeezing his shoulder again. "Though I suppose I can understand that it may be very alluring."

Tempting didn't even begin to describe it. Jack knew now, and had to accept it, though he tried not to. He loved Sally. He knew it after the night of the royal ball. Sally, the sweet and ever charming rag doll who stole his heart (if he had one) in a way he never would have expected. Her friendship had become something he treasured dearly, but would never have thought that it would actually grow into something more.

Not only that, but there was the factor of how she felt in return. Surely, she couldn't have. Could she? What if she didn't feel the same way? It worried him a little. Then again, if she truly didn't feel that way, were he to approach the matter with her...he wouldn't dream of forcing her. He would respect that with no problem. He loved her far too much to force her.

"In the end Jack...you will have to make a tough decision." Spencer told him sagely.

"Eh, 'course he does, just as always." Mumbled Bonejangles.

"Now now, none of that." Emily scolded lightly. "But it is true, Jack. You will have to make a decision that may be very difficult to achieve. Between doing the right thing for the good of your future Kingship...or your own heart."

"If only it weren't so hard." Jack said softly. "My parents, and the Doctor don't understand."

"Many will not." Emily agreed. "I'm sure even you yourself can't understand it."

Jack nodded, sipping his drink silently.

"It ain't that hard. You love the girl you're not marrying, and yet you gotta marry some woman you don't love for the good of the Kingdom. Zip-a-dee-doo-da, you just gotta pick love or duty." Bonejangles nudged his cousin lightly.

"...Well, yes, in a nutshell." Emily waved that off. "But Jack, I must ask. Will you be all right?"

A few moments of silence passed between the four of them, before Jack sighed, finishing his drink one fell swoop.

"...I should be in time, Emily. I should be."

He only wished that were true.

Then again, why worry? He was betrothed to a woman he didn't love, and still had to uphold those duties, regardless of the mutual lack of love between them. What kind of an example would that set if he didn't?

Yet, Jack knew all too well that it was far easier said than done.

If nothing else, he knew one thing that had to be done.

He had to see her.


	9. Mutual

**SQUEE! :D I was looking forward to this chapter! You will see why. ;) And guess what? That's only the beginning! OwO This chapter is quite short, too. **

**There IS a song in mind for the library scene. :) The reprise version of **_**Promise**_** from the game **_**Silent Hill 2.**_

XXX

Jack could not believe what he was doing.

A day after his decision to see Sally, one that he had made at the Black Cauldron with his cousin, friend, and Spencer as well, he was going through with it.

He arrived at the Finkelstein mini-mansion, which was quite a bizarre structure. The bottom half was normal enough, at least by this land's standards. But the rising structure above the home itself, which was of course the Doctor's laboratory, looked like a giant, metallic, spherical satellite. None the less, it was quite fascinating.

The plan for the moment, was of course to see Sally, though under a pretense. He had told his parents that he was visiting Marina, who was also in on the plan. Doing this for the first time, visiting her in her own home, did feel nerve-wracking, but he was ready for it.

Kind of.

But he had to do it. The only way to move forward, was to get through this very difficult task. It was now or never.

Upon ringing the doorbell, Jack heard a faint but still clear "The door is open!" from inside. Taking a breath, he opened the door and headed inside.

"Hello?" He called out as he came into the foyer, closing the door behind him.

"Jack Skellington!" Dr. Finkelstein exclaimed from up the ramp. "Up here, my boy! What brings you to our humble abode?"

"Marina had invited me for tea!" Jack explained as he walked up the ramp toward the Doctor Lord. "I hope that's all right?"

"Perfectly marvelous, my boy!" Dr. Finkelstein chuckled. "Come in, come in, my daughter is in the library!"

"Splendid!" Jack said cheerfully, feeling his bones tremble with anticipation.

Right on cue, Marina emerged from the library. "Hey, Jack! Glad you could make it!"

"Hello Marina, I'm glad I could make it as well. You're looking very nice today." Jack smiled warmly at her and shook her hand rather than kissing it. Dr. Finkelstein didn't seem to care.

"Thanks! Well, won't you come into the library?" Marina made a dramatic gesture toward the nearby room. "We have ever so much to talk about!"

"I'm certain that we do!" Jack agreed.

"You two have fun, I will be in the lab. It is an important experiment, so I do ask that I not be disturbed." Said Dr. Finkelstein. "Marina, your mother is in the garden if you need her."

"Thanks, Daddy!" Marina smiled brightly.

Marina led Jack into the library, where Sally was reading a book, and had overheard everything...and was trying not to quiver with excitement.

"Ohhh Sally!" Marina chirped in a sing-song voice. "Look who's here!"

"Sally!" Jack exclaimed happily, walking toward her.

"Jack!" Said Sally, unable to help herself. She stood up, placing her book aside and went over to him shyly. "...I mean...h-hello Jack..."

Jack chuckled at her shyness, smiling more at her. "Hello there Sally. How are you today?"

"Oh, I'm all right, thank you..." Sally rubbed her arm a bit. "How are...you doing?"

"Me? I'm doing quite well! I was in the neighbourhood, and decided to come by and say hello!" Jack said with a mild shrug. "Oh, and I saw Emily and Bonejangles at the Black Cauldron the other day. Emily said for me to tell you hello and that she hopes to see you again sometime."

"Oh...really?" Sally looked surprised, but pretty happy. "Well I...I'm very flattered. If you...well, see her before I get a chance to do so, tell her I said the same thing."

"Awwww! Well that's sweet of her! See, Sally? I told you Emily was awesome!" Marina giggled. "Okay, I'm going to go downstairs and keep watch for Mom, maybe make some tea. You two sit tight." She winked at them both before leaving the room, shutting the door behind her.

Sally blinked as she realized what was going on. Marina was giving them time alone! She couldn't believe it. And now in the...semi-comfort of her own home, no less. Now she was left alone, alone with the man she'd fallen in love with. But what to do? Was there something she was supposed to do? Supposed to say? Or was it really just one mere excuse for them to spend time together, and then work things from there, just like improvising?

"Um...so..." Sally sat back down, clasping her hands over her lap. "...Won't you sit down?"

"I would love to!" Jack smiled, and sat down on a chair across from the living chair she was sitting in. He felt unsure of what to do, or say next, especially considering his...main objective at the moment. "Well...so...that's a very lovely dress you have! Did you make it yourself?"

"This? Oh...um...yes, I did." Sally smoothed her dress a bit. It was a patchwork dress, much like her usual one. The bust was blue, with purple, stitched-on sleeves, and the skirt was made of different colours, patterns and fabrics, completing the patchwork look.

"Is it new?" Jack questioned, trying to keep conversation. Especially on something other than what was burning in his mind.

"Yes, I finished it two days ago..." Sally blushed and looked down a bit, rubbing her arm nervously. "...Jack...I know this might sound like a silly question...but I...wanted to know. ...Did you...come out here...just to..."

"To what, Sally?" Jack reached over and gently placed his hand on top of hers. "You can tell me. I promise that I won't laugh."

"...To see me?" Sally finished, looking at him then.

A silence befell them, but Sally took it to being wrong, but that was when Jack gently squeezed her hand, and then held it.

"I did, Sally. I wanted to see you." Jack told her seriously, but tenderly. "Does that still surprise you so?" His smile picked up on one side.

Sally blushed and looked away shyly. "I-I suppose...even now it's still quite a bit to take in..."

Chuckling, Jack shook his head and smiled more. "Oh, Sally...you're adorable."

Inside, he was quite tormented. He almost wanted to just spare her of his feelings, so she wouldn't feel guilty if she didn't feel the same way. At the same time, he didn't want to hide anything from her, not from this precious woman... The most important woman in his life. A tough decision had to be made, just as Emily had said. Choosing love, or legacy. In his heart, he wanted love. In his mind, legacy. Whatever the cost, he wanted to be with Sally. To hold her, love her, protect her, be with her. The right thing to do was his legacy, however he may look at it.

The question was, what was he willing to risk? His future Kingship...or the woman he loved? Should he keep it from her? Should he tell her?

During most if not all of his afterlife, Jack was always a logical thinker, despite that at times he could be impulsive and not quite think of what the consequences might be. He always had good intentions, even if the result was never exactly favourable. On top of that, he learned from mistakes he'd made and took full responsibility for his actions. And yet, he never was faced with such a difficult situation like this.

Falling in love. Not just being in love, but being in love with someone he could not truly have. Not without sacrifice that could compromise everything.

Jack looked at Sally yet again, and just melted. The way her big, expressive eyes just looked at him with sweet happiness, and curiosity, how her midnight red lips were curled into a smile, her adorable triangular nose...and her stitches. Her exposed stitches were nothing short of lovely, distinguishing. She pulled them off so beautifully, that it only enhanced her lovely, haunting charm. She really was a beautiful person, inside and out.

And he loved her to death.

It was decided then. He would not hide anything from this precious lady. He had to tell her. To be honest with her, to let her know of it, if nothing else. Yes, it would be heartbreaking if she didn't feel the same way, but he would take it in stride and move on. Easier said than done, sure, but he would. Maybe, yes, he would never love another woman like Sally...but at least he would have gotten it out.

"...Sally...there is another reason I wanted to see you." He finally said, and stood up, helping her to stand as well.

"What is it, Jack?" Sally asked curiously.

"I...I wanted to tell you something. Just...keep in mind that I only want you to know the truth." Jack held her hands in his, looking down at her with a soft smile, though his eyes held a look of mild fear, and...sorrow. "However you feel is up to you."

"...Jack..." Was all she could say, her heart tensing with anticipation.

Jack took a deep breath. It was now or never. She had the right to know, and he was going to tell her the truth, regardless of the result. "Sally...dearest Sally...I want you to know...that I...I..." He paused, unsure of how to say it. Be direct, or add poetic sweetness to it? Either way, he had to say it. "I'm in love with you, Sally. I love you." It came out before he could stop himself.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Sally was speechless. Had she heard him right? Did he really just admit that he was in love with her? Jack...the Prince of the Kingdom, was in love with her? Her dearest friend? She had to have been dreaming.

And yet...when she looked into his eyes, his entire expression held nothing but truth. He was smiling, without a single trace of doubt, insincerity, deceit, or irony. His expressive eye sockets were wide and seemed to glimmer with happiness as they looked back into her own eyes. Everything he had said was nothing but the truth. He loved her. He felt the same way about her.

Of course, not that she would have ever believed he'd trick her, or anyone. Jack was a complete Boy Scout! None the less, it was still surprising to hear.

Tears pooled in her eyes as she felt the weight of what Marina had said before, about how they were clearly in love, but could not be together. Now it was clear. Perfectly clear.

"Jack..." Sally managed, sniffling a bit. "Oh, Jack...I..."

"Sally? Sally, what's wrong?" Now Jack gently placed his hands on her shoulders, looking down at her with utmost concern. "Are you all right? Did I upset you? I'm so sorry-I only wanted you to know the truth. Please don't cry. I'm so sorry if it upset you..."

"No...No..." Sally shook her head and looked up at him with a tearful smile. "...I am...glad you told me Jack. Now that I know how you feel... I..." She looked down a moment, unsure of whether or not to say it, but before she could stop herself, it came out. She looked up at him as she spoke the soft confession of her own. "Jack...I love you too. I love you _so much_..."

Her words sunk in, and needless to say, Jack was very much torn up inside yet again.

On one hand, he was absolutely _elated_. To think, he had fallen in love with a wonderful woman and she loved him right back. It was pure, wondrous happiness he thought never to have been able to experience. He wanted to dance, to sing, to proclaim his love for all to hear! Most of all, he just wanted to hold her and shower her with all the love she deserved!

On the other hand, he was quite dismayed. They loved each other, and could not be together. If she hadn't felt the same way, it would certainly have made moving on easier. But that was not the case. Now moving on would be difficult for them both. He felt terrible to be the one to break her heart...her precious, beautiful heart...

"Sally..." Jack drew her into an embrace, running his fingers through her soft hair. "Oh, dear Sally...As much as it may trouble us both...I can't begin to tell you how happy this makes me."

Sally sniffled and hugged him back, snuggling into his chest. "Me...me too, Jack..." As saddened as she was, knowing that this was not to be, she couldn't help but feel so happy. Happy that she fell in love with someone who was in love with her right back. She would never have thought that this would happen, but now that it did, she believe that in some small ways, dreams did come true.

Within his mind, Jack recalled what Bonejangles had said...preposterous as it was, and even thought of Marina, and her lover, Spencer. A secret love affair. How the idea was tempting! Now that he knew how she felt, it only tempted him all the more. He wanted to scoop Sally into his arms, and just run away with her to some place far, far away and be together with her. But it wasn't that simple, was it? The risks of getting caught were far too high, and he especially didn't want her to get in trouble with her family.

Sally was thinking the same thing. She knew how much of a risk it would be, and how scared she was in going through with something like this. At the same time, the idea tempted her as well. Selfishly, which she didn't like. She wanted to be with him so much, but only though secrets, lies and hiding could that ever happen. Betraying her family was not something she wanted to, and she certainly didn't want to get him in trouble with his parents.

The two embraced for a few minutes, which yet again felt like an eternity for them. Once they parted, Jack held her hands in his again, looking at her with such tender love, and yet sorrow at the same time.

"Sally...If only things weren't so difficult." Jack sighed, squeezing her little hands...how comforting they were to hold. "I would do all I could to make you the happiest you could be..."

"...Jack..." Sally murmured, smiling sadly. "You're very sweet to say that...I wish I could do the same for you. ...I...I know this is...a lot to ask...but I...have a request...if it's not too much."

Beaming, though sadly, Jack gave a nod as his smile grew. "Of course, Sally. Anything. Just name it, and I'll do it." No matter what, he would do _anything_ for Sally.

"...Kiss me...just this once." Was her soft reply.

This made his eye sockets widen. She wanted a kiss. Just one kiss. His bones shattered. He would give her a million kisses if he could! With all the love he had for her, he would. He would shower her with all the kisses she could possibly want.

There were tears in her her eyes, and he yet again felt his heart and bones shatter. How he wish he could make this precious woman stop crying...and just be happy forever. This poor...poor girl.

"Sally...my love, I'd be happy to." Jack finally said, and brought her closer. "Come here."

With that, he gently cupped her face in his bony hands, and leaned down to kiss her gently on the lips.

The tears flowed down her cheeks like a river as their lips met, it was so achingly sweet that it made her cry all the more. Sally sniffled, and kissed him back, though unsurely due to her inexperience...but she tried anyhow. Her arms came around him, she brought herself closer, taking in all she could. Jack immediately brought an arm around her waist, the other caressing her face before burrowing into the strands of her beautiful hair.

Her lips were soft, and so intoxicating, he found himself unable to break away from her at all, while she was far from anxious to end it for him. Jack yet again felt as if his bones were crumbling, at how this was likely the only chance he would have to give her the love he had. If anything, kissing her now, only made him want her even more. He expected that, but was far too gone to care, and just wanted to make her feel loved. He could feel her tears coursing down her soft face, and could just feel what she was going through.

Why did fate have to be so cruel?

Sally felt as if she were in some kind of beautiful paradise, where the real world was slowly trying to claw its way through. She didn't want this to end, this wonderful moment...his wonderful kiss. For the first time in her entire existence, she felt so loved. And it was a wonderful feeling. To love, and to be loved in return. She wished it could last for all time.

But it was sadly not to be.

Neither were sure how long they kissed, but they made it last as much as they could, holding each other tightly, afraid to let go. It was their only chance, and everything was trying to stop them. They were so lost in each other, it was impossible to find any kind of breaking point to end it.

After some time...that was when they parted.

The kiss may have sealed their love, and spoke all of the truth behind their emotions, but it only made them want each other even more.

"Jack..." Now she was crying all the more, tears still streaming down her face.

"Oh, Sally..." Jack felt like crying himself, and he kissed her tears away. "Please don't cry. I'm so sorry." He embraced her again, holding her tight. "Sally, I love you."

"I love you too..." Sally sniffled again, holding him tight as well. "I always will."

"As will I." Jack kissed her on the forehead, and stroked her hair gently, before pulling back. "...I'd better go. I can't do this to you any longer."

"...I understand." Sally nodded, but her eyes pleaded him not to leave. "...Will I see you again?"

Jack smiled sadly. "Of course. Take care, Sally." He kissed her hand, lingering for a moment. "...Please smile...You're beautiful when you smile."

Though sad, Sally smiled lovingly at him. "You take care too, Jack..."

The two lingered for a few moments longer, and then Jack let go of her hand before slowly exiting the room.

As he passed Marina, who was coming back, he smiled at her. "...Thank you, Marina."

"...What for?" Marina blinked.

Jack smiled sadly. "For helping me." And then he left.

A few moments later, Marina came into Sally's room when she heard sniffling, and found her sister collapsed on her bed, crying. Her heart shattered.

She realized what happened.

Shutting the door, she ran to her sister's side, sitting on the bed with her, pulling her into her lap. "Oh Sally..."

Sally sniffled, and cried into Marina's neck, holding her tightly. "...I love him...he loves me too..."

"...I know, Sally...I know." Marina sniffled, crying now, too. "...I'm _so sorry_... I wish you were in my place..."

The two sisters cried in her room for quite some time, as the rain fell outside as well, seeming to echo their tears and sorrows.

XXX

**WOW. Believe it or not, I cried about halfway through writing the confession and kissing scene. TWICE. I could not believe it. It's pretty rare that I cry while writing a story, even if I do feel the emotions within it. Sometimes I do cry reading a story, but really though, it took me by surprise.**

**Don't worry, there's still plenty more to come. :)**


	10. Night of Fear

**Just like I said, there's more! :D X3 You remember that I said Jack and Sally will end up together in the end? Well...THEY WILL!**

**If you don't like that and you don't like happy endings...BITE ME.**

**So here we go! :)**

* * *

><p>Three months to go until the big day was to come to pass.<p>

Unfortunately, times were not so easy within the two lovebirds still. Of course, they still saw each other, occasionally accompanied by Marina (which also served to help them avoid temptation) or sometimes on their own. They continued writing letters, the same way as before, as well. Within all of this, they tried all they could to be cautious about expressing the love they had for each other. Yes, while they couldn't deny it or bury it completely, given that the cat was out of the bag, they did try to handle things in the most platonic ways they could.

But of course, even that sometimes fell through. Either they would hug for far too long, hold hands, snuggle (if they happened to be sitting somewhere fairly private), say sweet loving things to one another, and even occasionally would find themselves sharing a little kiss. Sometimes they were lucky (somewhat) and managed to stop themselves or were interrupted by some kind of third party, but even then it only fueled the fire for each other even more.

Much like today.

Jack, Sally and Marina were taking a walk together in the park near the Hinterlands. Despite the mild tension in the air, they were having a lovely little time as they talked about various things, with Marina telling funny stories that made Jack and Sally laugh, sometimes telling jokes, it was all fun.

But then, sneaky as Marina could be, or rather, painfully obvious, she "conveniently" went off to go get some staled Churros. Though she knew the two were having trouble, she couldn't help but still give them time alone.

A figurative sign that said _**Oh Dear...**_ seemed to be held above them as the two were now left alone.

"Well...I for one think that the less we know about this being, the better." Sally said, doing all she could to keep their conversation going.

"Because the more you know, the sooner he'll come after you?" Jack teased lightly, raising a would-be eyebrow.

"Perhaps." Sally smiled. "It seems to come off that way, doesn't it?"

"Terrifying enough as it is, and yet trying to learn about it is dangerous." Jack surmised, and chuckled. "That certainly is one twisted legend."

A little laugh escaped Sally before she looked up at him with a smile. "As twisted as everyone else in this town?"

"Maybe." Jack shrugged, chuckling again. He reached over and gently held her hand, especially since because there was no one within sight who could see them. He smiled more as she squeezed his hand back. "Are you all right, Sally?"

"Huh?" Sally blinked, perplexed at his question. "Oh, yes. I'm just fine. Why do you ask?"

"No, I meant..." Jack looked over to the side a little, letting the sentence hang.

In the past week and a half, both had avoided directly bringing up their mutual feelings, at least not directly, whenever they met with each other somehow. While they seemed okay upon seeing one another and through their letters, it did still concern Jack quite a bit. Especially since he could never get the image of Sally crying and looking at him with pleading, longing eyes out of his skull. Seeing her cry like that, even _at all_, and even somewhat being the _cause_ of it made his bones shatter, as well as his heart, if he had one.

"...Oh...oh, yes...I'm all right." Sally looked downward, finding the cobblestone path they were walking on suddenly to be more interesting. "Don't worry about me, Jack...it's nobody's fault."

A sigh escaped Jack, and he squeezed her hand a bit tighter. "None the less, you deserve far better than that. You're a wonderful woman, and I know all the more that any man would be so lucky to have you. I...I already feel like the luckiest skeleton in the world...having you...feel that way."

Sally blushed. "No...Jack..._I'm_ the lucky one...to have you love me."

Unable to help himself, Jack smiled and chuckled a bit. "All right, so I guess we're both lucky. ...And yet, _unlucky_, as well."

"That's true..." Sally said, and looked over to see a bench sitting at the edge of the path. "Um...do you want to sit down, while we wait for Marina to catch up?"

"Certainly." Jack smiled a bit more, and helped her sit down, before taking a seat beside her. "Sally...I am sorry for bringing that up, of course. I only wanted to see if you were all right. Though...I suppose that's a very stupid question, isn't it?" He said it more as a statement than a question.

Wide-eyed, Sally shook her head, and scooted closer to him. "No...no. Don't say that, Jack. ...I think it's very thoughtful of you...to want to make sure I'm okay. Um...but what about you? Are you all right?"

A sad smile came to Jack's skull, and he squeezed her hand gently. "I'd like to tell you that all is well in that regard. Unfortunately, I would be lying."

Sally's heart broke. He was truly suffering just as much as she was. "Oh, Jack..." Unable to help it, she lay her head on his shoulder.

His eye sockets widened at her sweet gesture, but Jack made no attempt to move away or push her off. Instead, he brought his arm around her waist and brought her closer, laying his skull against her head. _Oh dear Sally...I long for you so much. I only wish I could just screw the rules and make you my wife._

The two sat this way until they saw Marina heading toward them in the distance. Since she was paying attention to eating her Churro, they managed to separate from each other and sit on the bench as if they had been sitting that way all along. After she caught up with them, that was when they decided to head on home. Jack of course offered to walk the girls home, since the Finkelstein residence wasn't far from the park. Being the gentleman he was, it was no surprise he would offer such a thing.

* * *

><p>"Thanks for walking us home, Jack!" Marina smiled as she curtsied, just to be polite.<p>

"Yes, thank you..." Sally blushed a bit, and brought her hands behind her back.

"Oh, no need to thank me, ladies." Jack said bashfully, but smiled widely. "It's my pleasure! And of course I wanted to make sure the two of you got home safely." He kissed Marina's hand, and then turned toward Sally...unsure of what to do next.

"I'll see you inside, sis." Marina winked at her sister and then headed into the house, closing the door behind her.

The two of them stood on the front step of the Finkelstein residence for what seemed like hours, despite that it was barely a minute or two. Jack was unsure of what to do. Just about every fibre of his bones wanted nothing more than to embrace Sally and shower her with love amidst saying goodbye. Then again, he felt keeping it simple but kind would be a better idea, especially since evading temptation was next to impossible with her. Only a tiny shred of logic was holding him back, and he wasn't sure whether to give in to the beautiful temptation, or to hold back from it. Keeping her at arm's length was impossible, though the right thing to do. Every kiss, embrace, physical contact they shared only served to make it harder and harder and harder to keep away from her.

This was when Sally pretty much solved the conflict for him. She came closer to him and brought her arms around his torso, laying her head against his chest. Jack felt his bones stiffen and tremble, and he knew the right thing would be to pull away. But no, he would _never_ push her away. Instead he embraced her right back, immediately, and held her as close as he could. Yes, it was indeed going to fuel the fire even more, but at the moment, he didn't care. All he wanted was to hold the woman he loved, and just never let her go. Burying his skull into her soft, beautiful rusty red hair, he felt an immense relief and comfort as he took in her wonderful scent. Pumpkin spice, autumn, and even some kind of musk that he just couldn't help but like.

It was absolutely selfish of them...and they both knew it, and they knew that the other knew it. It almost hurt. Yet, the mutual desire for each other was softening to a point.

"Sally..." Jack murmured her name, oh, what a beautiful name...the most beautiful name in the world! "You are going to be the death of me..."

Sally only held to him tighter. "Aren't you already dead?" She said softly. It wasn't out of sarcasm...it wasn't like her, she was anything but that.

Jack chuckled at her little quip. "Then I suppose your work is done." He held her tighter as well, if that were possible.

This was torture. Absolute torture. The Gods of the Undead had to be screwing with him, and having a field day while doing it. They were dangling this gorgeous, irresistible creature right in front of him, just within reach, before yanking her away at any given time. Not only was it torture on himself, but he could see far too well that it was just as torturous, if not more so, on _her_. And that, was unforgivable. It was one thing to torture him, but her? This precious, wonderful woman of his wonderful nightmares? What was a tortured soul like him to do?

"I love you, Jack..." Sally murmured softly, now looking up at him tearfully. She didn't know what else to say, and could only think to tell him once more how much she loved him.

The heartbreaking feeling returned as Jack looked into her sad, pleading eyes. "I love you too, Sally...my dearest..."

And something inside him snapped.

Jack leaned down and kissed her, quite thoroughly. She writhed in his embrace, but kissed him back, her fingers digging into his spine.

A loud crash of thunder sounded, which broke the two apart almost immediately. Jack took this as his cue to get out of here...before he might regret what he would do next.

"You take care...okay?" Jack released her, reluctantly. "Will you?"

"...I-I will, Jack...and same to you." A single tear fell down Sally's cheek.

Jack melted, and lay his forehead against hers for a moment. "Come what may...I'll always love you."

"I-I'll always love you too, Jack..."

The two lingered, before Jack took a few steps back from her, waving at her. Sally waved back at him. The rain began to fall as Jack headed down the walk toward the front gate, glancing back only once. And then soon, he was gone.

It took all of Sally's strength not to weep.

* * *

><p>During dinner the following evening, it was when Dr. Finkelstein dropped a bomb upon his daughters. Or, daughter and creation, rather. Despite that, it even surprisingly had more to do with Sally than Marina. But that of course meant it would likely be a little less favourable than one would hope.<p>

Sally was nervous. She had a feeling it wasn't going to be good.

"Sally, it's about time you stopped your stupid silly fantasies about Jack. You should know by now it will never come to pass."

If colour could drain from Sally's face, it probably would be right now.

Marina looked down at her dinner plate guiltily at this. "Daddy...please, can't we just call this whole thing off? It's really not-"

"Marina, please." Dr. Finkelstein interrupted his daughter with utmost patience. "This is for her own good." He looked back at his creation. "Seeing as how you are now...among others as well, it seems that the only solution is to see to you finding a good man. Marina will take you to the country club tonight at eight, and you will meet some eligible men who will be willing to put up with you."

"But I..." Sally was about to protest.

"Dear, we think it would be best for you." Jewel said evenly.

"Ungrateful child...we finally let you out and you act as if we're dragging you to your execution! ...Which I should have done a long time ago." Dr. Finkelstein muttered.

"Daddy!" Marina said angrily. "Will you quit being so mean to Sally already? We get it! You don't like her, because she's not like me. Well guess what? That's what's great about her! She's NOT ME! She's Sally! No one else is Sally but her! And you are not forcing her to meet other men when she's clearly not ready for it!"

"Sweetheart, please calm down-" Jewel tried to reason.

"I'll take her to the Country Club, but only because I want to get her out of the house and to meet some new friends she made. If by chance she does meet a guy," She looked toward Sally meaningfully. "Then we'll go from there. But we are NOT going to make it our main objective. That's a lot of pressure, you know! If she does meet someone, it should happen _naturally_."

Dr. Finkelstein groaned, shaking his head. "Oh, all right."

"Sound good, Sally?" Marina gave her sister a strained smile.

"...Certainly." Sally said in a small voice, and pushed her plate aside, suddenly having no appetite.

"Look, it'll be fine. We'll go, we'll see our pals and have a good time." Marina assured. "No pressure."

Sally nodded a bit, and looked down at her lap. _Try as I may...I'll never find someone I'll love like I love Jack..._

* * *

><p>Later that evening, as planned, Marina took Sally to the Macabre Country Club. Both were dressed quite nicely in dresses that Sally had made before, along with light makeup. Sally even had her hair tied into an intricate bun, supported by two chopsticks, and a bat bow tied onto her head.<p>

Marina was a member of the club, and managed to get Sally a Visitor's Pass, and soon they were inside.

It was fairly crowded, with many others of the high society neighbourhoods of town, drinking blood wine and other such rich beverages. Disturbing but melodious music was playing with some of the members dancing upon the tile dance floor that was nearby, whilst others stood around talking to each other, playing cards, or admired the artwork hanging around. Marina and Sally went over to where they saw Bonejangles and Emily sitting on barstools. Emily was a member, so it seemed she brought Bonejangles along with her. With them also was Spencer, who was serving up drinks at the bar. Very reminiscent of the way they'd be at the Black Cauldron together.

"I felt we needed a change in scene, I suppose." Emily said when the girls sat down with them.

"Booze is the same everywhere, really." Bonejangles shrugged, taking another sip of his drink.

"Haven't you had enough?" Spencer raised an eyebrow.

Marina beamed happily at her lover, reaching over to touch his hand. "You know the answer to that all too well, sweetheart."

Spencer chuckled. "I suppose that's very true."

Emily rolled her eyes, and turned toward Sally. "You feeling all right, love?"

Sally smiled sadly, nodding. "I'm all right. Thank you for asking, Emily."

"You don't look it at all." Emily looked at her knowingly, placing her skeletal hand on her shoulder.

It made Sally shiver lightly, reminding her all too well of-

"And you can be honest with me, love. I know of your situation." Emily added, looking at her with compassion and empathy, along with a sad smile. "It's very unfortunate, isn't it?"

A small sigh escaped Sally as she looked down at her drink, which she hadn't touched. "Mm-hmm..."

"The only solace is knowing he loves you, as well."

"Yes...that's true."

Emily yet again looked at her with empathy. "I know well how you feel, love."

"...Do you?" Sally looked at her curiously.

The corpse bride nodded. "Though I am free, and though I let him go, it pains me still. I love him still."

Sally looked at her with mild surprise, and feeling her own sense of concern and sympathy wash over her. "I'm...so sorry to hear that. ...Where is he now?"

"The Land of the Living." Emily pointed upward. "Where he is now married to his wife. I...had my dreams taken away, but I could not do that to another. They say that when you truly love someone...you let them go. If they come back to you, they're yours forever. ...If they don't, they were never meant to be yours to begin with." She said this with sadness.

The weight of Emily's words weighed down on Sally as she looked down at the bar. Loving someone enough to set them free when you knew you had to do certainly had to be a tough decision to make. Truly for the better? Not for one's heart, but in the bigger picture, very likely.

"Anyway," Emily then said, interrupting the rag doll's train of thought. "I shouldn't have said such a downer thing, love. To look on a...rather brighter side of things, consider this. ...Love finds a way."

Sally repeated this phrase to herself, and shook her head a bit. "Thank you, Emily...could you excuse me? I'm going to get some air."

"Of course, love." Emily nodded, and turned back over to Spencer as he addressed her.

"I'll be back, Marina." Sally told her sister, who nodded, and she got off her stool.

She went outside through a glass door, coming out onto a terrace. Sally looked over the stone ledge, heaving a sad sigh, leaning over a bit as she cupped her head in her hands. Her eyes caught something, and she looked to her left.

Skellington Manor.

It was far away in the distance, but she could still see it clearly as it silhouetted hauntingly against the moon. She couldn't help but wonder where Jack was, what he was doing.

"Oh, Jack..."

The door opened behind her, and she could hear heavy footsteps coming toward her, which made her shudder a bit.

"Hello, my dear. Whatever brings you outside on such a chilly night?" Came a suave, daunting voice.

Sally turned around, and came to face Lord Barkis Bittern. The same man she had met at the ball, who had tried to dance with her when she had refused. "...Lord Barkis?"

"That is I, my dear." Barkis chuckled. "I had seen you come out here, and I had wanted to take this moment to offer you a sincere apology. You see, it was unfair of me to put that pressure on you that night at the ball. I was not thinking clearly, and I was wrong for trying to pressure you. I am sorry."

"O-Oh..." Sally blinked, unsure of what to say. He seemed genuine enough, so it relieved her a bit. "I...I understand, Lord Barkis. It's all right."

Barkis smiled, and then kissed her hand. "Thank you, my dear. I'm very glad to see that it is water under the bridge. Now then! You still had not answered my question. Why is a lovely maiden such as yourself out here on a cold night?"

"Oh...I only wanted some air, sir." Sally turned away shyly. She could see that he was trying to sweet-talk her, but she just didn't feel the same sparks and happiness at all. When Jack spoke so warmly and sweetly to her, it sent shivers up her spine and sparked such happiness.

"Mmm...you seem troubled." Barkis observed. "Tell me, is a man giving you grief? I certainly hope not. A beautiful, exotic creature such as yourself should never have to go through that."

A blush tinted Sally's cheeks as she looked at the ground. "It's nothing you need to concern yourself over, Lord Barkis."

"Nonsense. A poor little gem such as you need not worry." Barkis stepped over to her, tilting her chin upward gently. "You know what you need? A nice comfortable room, a glass of Chardonay in hand, and nice company. What say you, M'Lady? I shall gladly grant you a lovely luxury." He bowed to her.

"O-Oh...no no...you certainly don't have to, Lord Barkis. I couldn't accept that." Sally said quickly, shaking her head.

"Nonsense! I insist, my dear lady." Barkis held a hand to her. "It would be my pleasure offering this to a fine lady such as yourself. I insist, please. Don't you make me beg now!" He laughed at his own joke.

Blushing all the more, Sally decided that maybe...this could be of help. Yes, she did feel that he was kind of...odd, but he was being kind, genuine, and very helpful. Maybe she could do for something like this. So, with a small smile, she took his hand. "All right. I suppose a little while couldn't hurt."

"Of course, my dear." Barkis nodded, and then led her back inside.

He went toward a set of doors in the back area of the large reception room, coming to some stairs. Marina had told Sally before that many of the members had their own private rooms where they would sometimes retire to be on their own or entertain a guest or two. They were beautifully accommodated, containing several sofas and chairs, a couple of beds, a mini bar, and luxurious bathroom.

Barkis had a room on the fourth floor, which he led Sally into. Sally was, needless to say, very nervous. She could see he was nice and kind, but there was a part of her that didn't trust him. There was just something off about him, though he didn't show it.

"Have a seat, my dear." Barkis indicated to the sofas.

Sally nodded, and mutely complied as she sat down on one of the larger sofas.

Barkis then proceeded to pour them both a glass of wine from the bar, Sally not once seeing the superiority smirk on his face.

* * *

><p>Downstairs, Marina had noticed Sally leaving the room with...what looked to be Lord Barkis Bittern. She was surprised. Sally was getting to know another man already? No...this didn't seem like her at all. She was never one to get over something this big so quickly.<p>

Marina turned back to Spencer. "Darling...did you see Sally leave with Lord Barkis just now?"

Spencer nodded. "I did, in fact."

"Wait a moment." Emily suddenly said. "Did you just say that Sally left with _Barkis_?"

"Yeah. Why?" Marina blinked.

"You mean, you don't know?" Bonejangles looked a bit surprised. "Surprised you never knew, Mar."

"What do you mean?" Now Marina was a bit worried.

"Lotsa people won't believe this. Real sad, if you ask me." Bonejangles said, shaking his skull. "Barkis is known to be a womanizing heartbreaker. 'Specially to young, pretty, vulnerable women. Emily over here's been a victim of that."

Emily sighed sadly to confirm that it was true.

"Yep, not a real pretty picture." Bonejangles went on. "Yer sister's pretty, naive, trusting, beautiful even, and right now, what with being in love with a man she can't have...she's real vulnerable. He's like a shark swimmin' through water, and she's like a drop of blood in the water."

Marina's eyes widened, and her dead pale face seemed to widen with fear. "No...no...you can't mean..."

"Even I never knew this...and I'm a bartender." Spencer said, shaking his head.

"Wouldn't lie to ya, Mar. I've seen what this man can do." Bonejangles said, shaking his skull again. "And now yer sister is next. He always takes them to his room here in this club."

"No...! No! No! I won't let him!" Marina stood up quickly and hurried out of the room.

Unfortunately, she didn't even know what room number or floor Barkis was on.

* * *

><p>"Well, I suppose I..." Sally sipped the wine he had given her, just to be polite, and made a face at its awful taste. She didn't like it.<p>

"Hush, my dear. No need to talk." Barkis then smirked suggestively, and leaned toward her, puckering his lips.

Sally's eyes widened, and she set her chalice down, scooting back from him. "W-What are you doing...?"

"I am about to bestow a lovely kiss upon your luscious, perfect lips, my dear." Barkis said, scooting toward her. "Now please, come here..."

"N-No! I'm sorry, but no...I'm not ready for that." Sally scooted back again, coming to the arm of the couch. "Please."

"Shhh..." Barkis took her hand, pulling her toward him. "It's all right, my dear. Just close your eyes, and allow this wonderful feeling of true love overtake you."

Sally squirmed and turned her head away as he came toward her again. "No! Please, let me go..."

"Kiss me! I demand that you stay still!" Barkis demanded, grabbing her by both arms. He then smirked. "Consider yourself lucky, my dear. Not many women will catch my eye. Please, just settle yourself and kiss me."

Once again she shook her head and pushed him away. "I said no...! I don't want this, Lord Barkis...please understand." Sally then stood up, backing away. "Please..."

"You're not making this any easier on yourself, my dear." Barkis stood, stalking toward her. "Now stay still, and kiss me, you wretched doll!" He ground out angrily.

"No!" Sally backed away again.

"You're trying my patience..." Barkis warned, advancing upon her again.

"Stop this! Please!" Sally begged, terrified now.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll stop where you are." Barkis warned yet again.

"N-No! Please, stop!" Sally scurried behind one of the couches.

"You're coming with me!" Barkis roared, grabbing her arm.

Sally yanked her arm back, but he held on. "No I'm not!" With one last effort, she undid the stitches in her arm, causing her to break away from him, and leave Barkis holding her severed arm.

Barkis only laughed. "You're pathetic...a scared little girl just begging to be loved...but I'm not good enough for you, am I? Oh no, not unless I'm that wretched _Prince_... Well, I'm afraid you have no choice but to succumb to me now, my dear. For I have this." He held up her arm, which seemed to quiver in fear.

Sally, having fallen to the floor, now looked up at him with scared, wide eyes. She crawled backward, trying to maintain her balance, despite now only having one arm.

SMACK!

Barkis had slapped her with her own arm, across the face.

"Now you will stand! Bow to me!" Barkis demanded. "Otherwise your body will come apart, little by little...and then, perhaps...a bonfire will be in order... Either way, I shall see to it...that your _precious Jack_...be the one to suffer most. After all, that pathetic worthless fool...is nothing but a pile of dead, dirty bones..."

The look of fear on Sally's face then changed to a look of ferocity. Gathering her strength and courage, she controlled her severed arm to poke Barkis in the eye, very roughly. He cried out and grabbed at his face, dropping her arm in the process.

Grabbing her arm, Sally then shoved him against the wall, which caught him off guard. She backed away again, toward the door, and managed with utmost ferocity,

"I am not that kind of girl, _Barkis_...and if you talk badly of Jack ever again...you'll be sorry."

She then hurried out of the room, slamming the door behind her, and managing to run out into the hall. Due to her imbalance, fear, and utter dismay, Sally fell to the floor on her knees, trembling. It was then that she heard someone running toward her, despite that the flooring was carpeted.

"Sally! Sally! Oh my gosh, Sally!"

Looking up tearfully, she could see Marina running toward her. She knelt down beside her, holding her tightly.

"Sally...oh, Sally...I'm so sorry...are you all right?"

Unable to reply, Sally wept. She just couldn't do this anymore. She was tired of pretending. Tired of hiding. The only one she loved, the one she wanted, was Jack.


	11. Simply Meant To Be

**Oh boy oh boy! :D This is where things get good! OwO ;)**

**This is what you've been waiting for, for those of you Jack/Sally shippers in the audience! And for those of you who haaaate the pairing...**

**Well, guess what? I don't care. Bite me.**

**This chapter IS very short, but given what happens, it's pretty important.**

**Enjoy. :)**

* * *

><p>Two days had passed since the traumatizing night at the country club. Marina had not told her parents about the incident, by Sally's insistence. Especially since Lord Barkis had a huge reputation around town, and covered his tracks all too well. Anyone who dared claim a bad word against him was practically blasphemous.<p>

In this time, Sally wanted to be left alone. She rarely came out of her room, and mostly just lay there, curled up in the fetal position, crying, or just staring blankly out the window. She felt terrible. While she had come out of the incident unscathed (aside from losing her arm, and reattaching it), it still didn't help that she felt horrible, and violated. A man had tried to taken advantage of her when she was feeling quite vulnerable. If not for her will to fight back, she might have been brought down further than she already had been.

Of course, one thing that remained, was her decision.

Sally wanted no one else. She wanted Jack. She didn't want to pretend anymore. As selfish and above all, stupid as it was, she just _didn't __care_. Anything nice that she wanted was always too much to ask for, and she was denied of it, simply to make her suffer or just because she couldn't match up to her sister.

But this time, she didn't care. Sally hated thinking that way, she didn't like to be selfish, but by now, she just wanted to do something for herself for once. To have something she wanted so much. She would do anything to be with him. Even be his mistress.

So by now, she wasn't thinking clearly. Especially not when she put a basket of goodies together to give him.

Sally made sure everyone, including Marina, were asleep that night. This was a daring, risky move, but she had to do it. She had actually stolen Marina's house key from her. It was on a chain, and she wore it around her neck, tucking it under the neckline of her dress.

Since Dr. Finkelstein locked her bedroom door every night, due to the fact that she had once tried to sneak out late at night a year ago. Since then, he kept her under lock and key overnight.

Her window was locked too, but that was what the key was for. Sally used the key to unlock the window, and opened it. Using thread, as well as her sewing machine, she carefully lowered the basket onto the ground below. She then new she had to get out this way, too. It was a pretty long drop, being three stories above ground.

But she could do it. It was for Jack, and that alone gave her enough motivation and determination.

Sally smiled, and then leaped out of her window. She landed on the ground below her with a soft, audible thump. Anyone within earshot would've heard it, but certainly not within the walls several stories up.

Upon the impact, all but one of her arms had been severed from her body. But that didn't deter Sally in the slightest. Not just because she couldn't feel pain, but because she was _free_. It was a small price to pay. And being one to carry a needle and thread on her person at all times, it was definitely no problem for her. As she lifted herself up, she reached for a spool of thread in her pocket, and then took a needle from behind her ear. First, she took her severed arm, which she promptly sewed back on. Once her arms were in place, she then replaced her legs, making sure to touch up the seams that had burst upon them as well.

Satisfied with her work, Sally cut the thread with her mouth, and tucked the needle back behind her ear, and placed the thread back into her pocket. Standing up, she took the basket, and headed around the house toward the front gate. Yes, it was going to be quite a walk to Skellington Manor, but she didn't care. She was on a mission, and nothing was going to stop her.

XXX

Though it was late, Jack didn't care so much as he sat up in the observatory tower reading a book. Tonight, he just couldn't sleep. Not only because anytime he closed his eyes, he would see the woman he loved, but also because he felt a little anxious and restless. Sally had not written a letter in the past few days. Now normally it didn't bother him too much, but this time around, it was strange. Not even Marina wrote to him to say what was up. He had a bad feeling, but no idea what could possibly have been going on.

He just hoped Sally was doing all right.

Speaking of, he too had his own restless urges. The urge to just push everything aside and be with her. To be selfish for a change, and do something for himself as opposed for his legacy. Yes, it was indeed a horrible thought, but he couldn't help himself. He was just too far gone. He was in love, something he had never felt before in his life.

One would think it was lust, a deep infatuation, but he was sure that it was not. He wanted Sally for more than just..._certain_ things. No. Jack knew he would be more than content to just be with her, talk to her, hold her, explore places with her, anything! He wanted all of Sally. All of her.

Getting up, Jack stood to place his book back on the shelf when he heard a noise.

_TAP TAP TAP_

A tapping on the observatory window? But it was well over three stories high! Jack was very puzzled. He turned around and saw a basket hanging from a rope at one of the windows. Curious, he walked over and pushed the window open. There was indeed a basket hanging from a hook attached to a rope, and there were some things inside, covered by some cloth.

"Ooh..." Jack smiled, taking the basket and then peering down to see if the generous giver was still there. Much to his surprise, and delight, Sally was down at the ground, holding the rope. He lit up, and smiled at her as he waved. He then made a motion for her to wait. There was no way he was going to pass up seeing her!

Closing the window as he took the basket inside, he pulled back the cloth, and was surprised to find a fishbone, some little goodies, and a corked teal bottle with some liquid inside. Curious, he took the bottle out first, and uncorked it. Before he could smell the drink inside, a butterfly followed by a little heart appeared from the bottle made of iridescent smoke!

"Ohh!" Jack gasped, and then smiled at the sight, even after they had faded away.

Re-corking the bottle, he placed it back down and then hurried out of the observatory to get to his bedroom to change, and then head outside. He was NOT going out to see her in his pajamas! A pair of light, long pajamas along with a long, cone-shaped sleeping hat? Absurd! She would laugh at him!

* * *

><p>Sally was still waiting outside, much to his relief. He just couldn't help but wonder why she was here in the middle of the night. But it didn't stop him from feeling just so happy to see her. Upon reaching her, he suggested they go to the graveyard to talk in private, which she agreed to.<p>

With that, Jack took her to his favourite place in the graveyard, which was of course the famed Spiral Hill.

"Sally, is everything all right? ...Are you okay?" Jack asked with concern.

"No...well...Jack...I...actually..." Sally looked down at the ground below them in shame, twiddling her hands.

"Dear Sally, what's wrong?" Jack's happy smile immediately faded into a look of utmost concern. He went to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, gently squeezing. "You can tell me what's troubling you."

Taking a deep breath, Sally managed to fight back tears as she told him the story of what had happened at the Macabre Country Club a few nights earlier. Her voice broke and shook up a bit as she did so, which made Jack hold her close to comfort her. As she went on, especially detailing the latter events with Lord Barkis, he found himself growing angrier and angrier by the minute. Not at her, of course. Never at her. But at the wretched being who _dared_ call himself a man. He had gone too far this time. First on all those poor ladies, Emily, and now Sally. That, was when he crossed the line. Anyone who dared mess with Sally...he would show them _no__mercy_.

But now was not the time to think about it. Sally needed him.

"Oh, Sally..." Jack felt his anger melting away as he pulled his beloved closer. "Sally, I can't believe that happened...then I should have known that dreaded _thing_ would do something like that if given the chance... I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you, my Sally..." He hugged her tighter.

"I-It's not your fault...Jack..." Sally sniffled a bit. "You didn't even know I was there..."

"I know, but none the less, I wish I could have protected you." Jack murmured, running his bony fingers through her soft, soothing hair... "But I am glad you're all right... You were very brave."

"Not at first..." Sally felt tears run down her cheeks at this point. "Jack, I was so scared...I almost couldn't do anything. I felt...like a worthless damsel in distress..."

"Sally...don't ever say that." Jack pulled back a bit, gently wiping her tears. "You are not worthless. No one expects you to be able to overcome every little obstacle. It's natural to have been afraid in a situation like that, and I certainly don't blame you for it. You are a strong girl, Sally, I've known that about you since we met. Sally...being strong, doesn't just mean being able to lift heavy things or throw a good punch."

Sally sniffled, looking up at him tearfully as she clung to him tightly. All the more she knew, this was where she wanted to be...in the long arms of her beloved, as she held him in return. "Jack...you...you always know what to say..." She lowered her gaze a bit.

Jack smiled, and kissed her on the forehead. "I do my best, especially when it comes to someone I care about very much. Please don't cry, Sally...it's all right now. You're safe, and I will see to it that that dreaded man never comes near you again."

"No...it's not just that... What happened with him...it made me..." Sally shook her head, biting her lip, and then looked up at him. "Jack...I don't care anymore. I'm sick of pretending, sick of trying not to love you..." She could not believe what she was saying, the words, the entire truth just seemed to all come out on their own. "I _love__you_, Jack...and I...I want to be with you... if you'll have me..._please_..."

Jack all but froze up at her words. The weight of them, combined with her pleading eyes, fresh tears falling down her delicate cheeks...everything...it just made his bones shatter all the more. The logical side of him said to just turn her away and do the right thing. But at the moment, he was through with that. He had been doing that, ignoring his heart for far too long. He loved Sally, and he wanted to be with her, too. If a secret love affair was all they could do to be together, then so be it.

He too, was tired of pretending, tired of hiding. He just wanted to shower her with all the love and devotion he had to offer. If she was willing to let him, he was _not_ passing it up.

"Sally..." Jack took her hands in his, looking at her intensely...but so lovingly. "Sally, this is risky...and it's clearly very selfish of us. ...But I don't care anymore, either. For once, I choose...my heart. And that's you."

Sally gasped, her eyes widening. "Jack...I..."

"We'll have a secret love affair. If that's the only way, let's take it." Jack went on, squeezing her hands a bit more. "Once we do...I hope you realize I will never let you go." He said this with a bit of a growing smile.

A smile came to her stitched mouth. "I...I will never let you go either..."

"Sally..." Jack said lovingly, and then let go of her hands, taking a dew steps back from her. He then smiled, before singing to her gently.

"_My__ dearest __friend...  
>If you don't mind, I'd like to join you by your side<br>Where __we __can__ gaze __into __the __stars..._"

Touched, Sally felt fresh tears coming to her face as he sang to her. He now approached her, still singing, as she joined along singing with him,

"_And__ sit __together, __now__ and __forever  
>For it is plain, as anyone can see<br>We're __simply __meant __to __be..._"

Jack had held his hands toward her, which Sally reciprocated, placing her smaller hands upon his larger, bony ones. He closed his fingers around them, gently squeezing them as they sang the song together, never once taking their eyes off each other.

Jack and Sally then moved toward each other, and it wasn't long before they embraced yet again, and shared a kiss under the luminous glow of the moon behind them. While it was not their first kiss, it did, none the less, feel as if it were, since it was right now that this kiss was a symbol of their love. No more hiding, no more pretending. It sealed their love, and further cemented their desires to be together.

This was the start of their secret love affair.

A few moments passed as they lingered, and then they parted, unable to keep their eyes off each other. More fresh tears coursed down Sally's face, and Jack smiled more as he wiped them away, caressing her cheek.

"You don't have to cry anymore, Sally...you're not alone. No matter what happens, I'll always be with you. I promise." Jack said softly, taking her hand with his other, gently squeezing.

Sniffling a little, Sally smiled all the more, feeling overly comforted. "I believe you, Jack. ...And I'll always be with you too...I promise."

His bones seemed to utterly melt with pure joy! Jack pulled her into a warm embrace, savouring the wonderful feel of holding the girl he loved, and who loved him right back.

_There is no one in this world who makes me feel as she does..._

For the first time in his entire afterlife, Jack had never felt this happy. It was safe to say that Sally could vouch for that, as well.

* * *

><p>Later in the evening, after the two had sat on Spiral Hill together, snuggling and pointing out the constellations of the stars, and then took a walk around the graveyard, Jack took Sally back home. Much to her dismay. However, she wasn't as scared or depressed about going back home this time around. The reassurance that this wasn't a dream, that it was truly real, was enough to help soothe her. Jack had even promised to see her again sometime, which she kept to hear.<p>

The house was dark, indicating everyone was asleep when they got there. Sally even demurely admitted that she had snuck out. It worried Jack at first, wondering if they were worried about her.

"Marina would be...but not my parents. They...would only get angry with me and punish me." She had said.

Jack hesitated with this, but could understand and let it go. So he brought her to the side of the house, below her bedroom window.

"Will you be all right getting back inside?" Jack asked once more, squeezing her hands.

Sally nodded. "I will, Jack. I promise."

Nodding, Jack conceded as he smiled more. "All right then, Sally. Goodnight, and have pleasant nightmares."

"Have pleasant nightmares, Jack. Goodnight..." Sally beamed.

Chuckling, Jack then gently cupped her face in his hands, and leaned down to kiss her once more. He could feel Sally tremble, and then reciprocate the kiss, her lips meshing perfectly along his own bony mouth, which miraculously held the ability to allow a sensible kiss. They lingered for quite some time, even now bringing their arms around each other, coming closer together.

After what seemed like an eternity, they finally pulled back, letting go of each other.

"Goodnight, Sally..." Jack kissed her forehead, and then stepped back from her, smiling bashfully.

"Goodnight, Jack..." Sally said softly. When he began to walk off, she stopped him. "...I...I love you."

A sweet smile came to Jack's face. "I love you too, Sally." He waved, grinned, and then left the property.

For some time, Sally stood up against the wall, holding her hands to where her heart would be, unable to keep from smiling. Yes, for the first time in her entire life, she could feel things finally starting to go right.


	12. Love

**Well! Now our star-crossed lovers, for lack of a better term, are together in a secret little love affair! OwO Oh boy! :D**

**WARNING! Includes French-Kissing!**

* * *

><p>Two months had gone by since Jack and Sally consented to having a secret love affair. While it did hurt them inside to betray their families, as well as keep their love a secret, it was all they could do. Their feelings, lusted desires, all just seemed to overtake them to the point of logic not being a prime factor in all of this.<p>

Ever since then, while they couldn't see each other as often as they would've wanted, they did all they could to make the best of their times together. Letter correspondence became less frequent (however frequent they may have been before) in order to arouse less suspicion, despite using the same method.

Along with all of this was the planning for the big day. Especially since Sally had long ago been appointed to make Marina's wedding dress. That in itself was no problem for her, she had plenty of ideas, since Marina had wanted to be surprised and really wanted her sister to work to her full potential. All she had to do now was make sure that the base was just right. Once that was done, she would be able to apply the rest of the finishing touches to make it complete.

There was also the matter in the invitations, the flowers and plants, the dresses and clothes for those in the wedding party, and so forth. So that added to why they didn't see each other very often. Plus, Marina had actually begged Sally to be her Maid of Honour, which Sally could not say no to. Yes, it was going to be painful to witness it right there, first hand, when really she would have almost hoped to be locked away in her room while it happened.

So they managed to see each other whenever they were free. They would try to meet up in obscure, more remote places, either in the outskirts of the town, further off in the park, within the Hinterlands, just about anywhere they likely wouldn't get caught. They spent time together, shared stories, jokes, cuddled, among some...mmm...kissing, pretty much. Risky as it was, neither of them let it matter any longer.

In all, despite everything, the strength of their bond seemed to be stronger. Sally, while still as shy and soft-spoken as she always was, really felt that she didn't have to hide anything from Jack any longer. In turn, Jack was all the more happy to express himself to her. He trusted her immensely, and felt he could truly share the deepest parts of him with her. She too, felt she could do the same. They were closer than ever, and were still none the less, the best of friends.

Today, the two of them were at the park together, deep in the woods, upon a picnic blanket. A small basket with little treats and a bottle of their mutually favourited drink sat between them. Jack was sitting up, leaning on one hand, as he held a book in his other hand. Sally lay on her side, next to him, with her hand supporting her head, smiling as he read to her from the book.

"Okay, Sonnet 25.

_Let those who are in favour with their stars  
>Of public honour and proud titles boast,<br>Whilst I, whom fortune of such triumph bars  
>Unlook'd for joy in that I honour most.<em>

_Great princes' favourites their fair leaves spread  
>But as the marigold at the sun's eye,<br>And in themselves their pride lies buried,  
>For at a frown they in their glory die.<em>

_The painful warrior famoused for fight,  
>After a thousand victories once foiled,<br>Is from the book of honour razed quite,  
>And all the rest forgot for which he toiled:<br>Then happy I, that love and am beloved,  
>Where <em>_I__ may __not __remove __nor __be __removed__._"

Sally smiled all the more, her expressive eyes gazing with him with admiration and adoration. "That's very good, Jack... I could truly feel the emotions and stories behind the words of his sonnet truly come alive."

"Well, I do my best, Sally." Jack chuckled, closing the book and placing it aside. "I simply can't get enough of Shakespeare's writings!"

"His plays are one of the first stories I'd ever read." Sally admitted, and now lay down on her back on the blanket, looking up at the cloudy sky.

"Do you remember which one?" Jack queried, laying down beside her, and holding her hand.

Sally thought for a moment before answering. "I believe it was _Twelfth__ Night_. It was excellent."

"Ohh, I love that one." Jack smiled. "I can't recall what my first of his works was. I think it might have been _Hamlet_, or probably _Macbeth_. One of the two, unless of course I'm completely wrong and it was maybe one of his poems instead."

A giggle escaped Sally as she turned her head to look at him. "I'm sure you'll remember it eventually. Even so, at least it did help you to find his other works and read them."

"That's true." Jack agreed, and raised their hands, kissing the back of hers. "I suppose that's what really matters in the long run." He turned his head to look at her too. "You have very good insight, Sally...I really do like that."

Sally blushed, and she looked away shyly. "I'm just...saying it as a I feel, that's all."

"And I appreciate it very much." He went on, squeezing her hand. "I like your insight, and hearing what you have to say about whatever is on your mind."

"Me too, Jack... I love to hear what you have to say as well." Now Sally managed to look back at him. She then scooted closer to him on the blanket, squeezing his hand right back.

"Sally..." Jack chuckled. "Must you always throw any compliment I give you right back at me? Can't I ever just enjoy your haunting beauty, or your dazzling personality without the rubber band effect?" He teased.

"I can't help it..." Sally giggled, looking bashful and sheepish. "You've always made me feel so good about myself, and so...so loved, I..." She now snuggled into him, sighing dreamily. "I just want to make you feel that way, too."

Chuckling again, Jack just smiled fondly at the beautiful rag doll he adored so much, and let go of her hand, bringing his arms around her. "You don't even need to say anything to make me feel that way."

"Oh, Jack..." Sally cooed, snuggling into his chest. "I love you so much, Jack."

"I love you too, Sally." Jack kissed her on the forehead, gently running his bony fingers through her luscious, soft hair.

Sally giggled. "How many bunches?"

"A million and one for your pillow." Jack smiled. It was a cute little joke they shared. "To infinity and beyond."

The two shared a little laugh together, and then their lips met in a sweet kiss. Sally sighed happily between kisses and rolled onto her back yet again, with Jack now moving to position himself over her on his knees, not breaking their liplock. Her arms came around his neck, while one of his hands ran through her hair gently, the other trailing along the curve of her back, causing her to arch her back in response.

Gently, Jack ran his pointed, long tongue along her sweet, midnight red lips, to which she immediately granted entrance. He explored the familiar, but still wonderful territory of her moist, fabricated cavern, very gently, but thoroughly. Her little cloth tongue shyly rose up to meet his, to which he gently played and danced with. It had been about a week ago that they had tried French kissing. The first time was kind of sloppy, with them ending up laughing at how ridiculous they looked trying to do it right. Eventually, it transcended into this, being a lot better.

Sally moaned into the kiss, which enticed Jack all the more to keep going. He loved the sweet sounds she made, especially within kissing. They were music to his ears! After some time, he pulled away and then proceeded to lay kisses along her neck, especially giving some attention to the stitches along there. See, something Jack came to discover early on since their affair began, was that she was a bit sensitive along her stitched areas, especially along her head and neck. Ever since then, he took full advantage and offered them some attention whenever he possibly could. On top of that, she loved it! Her breathy moans, gasps, and sweet pleas never to stop or to go to a certain spot, were certainly more indications as to how much she liked his ministrations along her neck.

As he happily expected, the sweet sounds of pleasure came from Sally as she angled her head to accommodate his movements.

"Oh _Jack..._" She moaned amidst a soft coo.

"Sally..." Jack whispered back to her sweetly, still gently tousling her hair as he gently massaged the seam that coursed around her long, thin neck, keeping her head in place with his lips. Goodness, he was just _addicted_ to her... "My sweet, adorable Sally... Where have you been all my undead life...?"

Sally giggled. He had asked that at times, and even she couldn't help but wonder the same thing, though in a different sense. "Wherever I may have been...I'll be here for you now...if you'll have me."

Chuckling, Jack lovingly continued his ministrations along her wonderful neck, enticed by the sweet sounds of her responses. "I'd _always_ have you, Sally."

"I...I'd always have you, too..." Sally said softly, and brought her hands to his shoulders for leverage. "Jack...oooh...you're so good at this...h-however...did you learn?"

"I wonder the same thing, given how well you kiss." Jack smiled, and traced her lovely mouth, stitches and all, with one finger. He kissed upward then, along the base of her head, up her chin, and then reclaiming her sweet lips yet again.

She kissed back, yet again eagerly and happily engaging into a searing kiss. If there was one thing she loved about their times together, it was certainly when they'd share a kiss, no matter how soft or how deep. It just never failed to fill her with so much joy and warmth, helping to escape from the real world's prying, cruel, cold claws trying to keep them apart. But when together, and especially within a sweet kiss, that was when everything around them ceased to exist, and all that mattered was their growing love, and closeness.

Even with how deep and passionate his kisses could become, Jack never failed to be as loving and sweet as possible. She just loved him for it. In turn, while she was mostly shy and soft in her kissing, it didn't stop her from trying to be as sure and bold as she could.

Eventually, Sally moaned again, and then rolled them over so she was on top. Jack seemed to fall limp beneath her, as he always did, but it didn't stop him from bringing his arms around her completely, his hands stroking her back. She moaned again under his touch, now bringing her hands to his skull and gently caressing along the smooth, hard surface. She knew now how sensitive his skull was, and how he really loved her massages to it.

After a few moments, Jack pulled back from her ravishing lips, feeling his bones all but tremble in pleasure. "Sally...dearest Sally...why must you tempt me so?"

Sally giggled. "Sorry... I can't help it."

This only made Jack grin. "Who said I was complaining, my dark temptress?"

Now Sally laughed, smiling all the more as she continued to caress his skull. "Oh Jack...my Prince, you're wonderful..." She uttered dreamily before Jack pulled her back in for another kiss.

* * *

><p>A little less than an hour later, sadly, the two had to get going in order to be in their respective homes for dinner, since the hour of twilight was setting in then. Thankfully, no one was really around so they didn't have to do any of the pseudo "separate leaving", and left the park together. On the street, if anyone asked, they simply met up while they were each running individual errands and walked together, and he was now taking her home.<p>

It didn't take too long to reach the Finkelstein household, since they didn't live too far from the park. They had gotten back here without much trouble, which was good.

"Thank you...for today, Jack...I really enjoyed it." Sally said softly, looking up at him shyly, though lovingly.

"You're welcome Sally, and I have to thank you too, for gifting me with your wonderful presence." Jack smiled lovingly, taking her hand and kissing it. "I'll let you know when we can see each other next."

Sally nodded, and then was pulled into a firm but gentle embrace, which she returned. The two shared a kiss, which was prolonged, and very much led them to be tempted to make out, but luckily they controlled themselves in time.

Pulling away, Jack kissed her hand again, and then let her go, smiling. "Goodbye, Sally. Have a a wonderfully unpleasant evening."

"Same to you, Jack. ...I love you." Sally quickly added in.

"I love you, too." Jack blew her a kiss before he headed off, waving to her as he winked at her over his shoulder, which made her giggle.

Sally then quietly crept to the other side of the house, and crawled in through an air vent. It was how she got out or back in sometimes, going through a large vent that happened to be in her room, since that was where it led, even since she got her hands on a screwdriver...

She climbed through, coughing and brushing off cobwebs, making a mental note to clean this thing out next time around, and soon made it back into her room. The door was locked from the outside, so they hopefully wouldn't have suspected anything.

Brushing off her little casual but sweet dress of the dust and cobwebs, Sally quickly changed back into her regular patchwork dress, and went to her sewing machine so that she could get to work on some more touches to Marina's wedding dress. At least now, it will have looked like she were here all along, working on this.

The door then unlocked a few minutes later, and Marina opened the door, poking her head in.

"Yoohoo! One two three on Sally!" She quipped, coming into the room. "I've got some big news!"

"Oh, what?" Sally looked over at her curiously.

"We're all going over to Jack's next Monday, for a big dinner party with family and friends!" Marina said, grinning.

"Ohh...I see..." Sally blinked, and realized that they would be around other people, and likely wouldn't get to see one another...and it was a little more than six days away. "Well, it certainly sounds like it will be quite an event, won't it?"

"It sounds like it!" Marina shrugged. "But at least you'll see Jack!"

Blushing, Sally gave a silent nod as she looked away.

"Sally..." Marina then sat on her bed as Sally turned on her stool to face her. "You know, I've seen how much happier and at peace you've been these days. And well, this is just coming from experience, so correct me if I'm wrong. ...Are you and Jack...having a love affair?"

Sally's eyes widened, and she clutched the mixed fabrics of her dress nervously, blushing, her eyes darting around nervously. "Marina, I..."

Marina just grinned. "I knew it! Oh wow, I can't believe you two are doing this, and yet...wow! I guess...you just couldn't hold back anymore, could you?"

"Well I..." Sally blushed all the more. "After what happened with Barkis...I... I was tired of pretending and I wanted to be with him."

"Oh..." Marina frowned at the memory, and nodded in understanding. "Well, I can understand that, though." She smiled then. "Despite everything...I'm so glad you guys are together, even if you have to sneak around. It's no wonder you're so happy sometimes."

"...I just love him so much, Marina..." Sally murmured, holding her hands over her chest. "He makes me happier than I've ever been in my entire existence."

"Awww...That's how I feel about Spencer, too." Marina smiled more. "Wow, who would've thought that both Finkelstein sisters are having love affairs? Ha! Well, I know it's not the best way to go about things, but...well..."

"We just have no other choice, do we?" Sally sighed.

"Afraid not." Marina said grimly. "But well Sally, you listen up. If this whole thing does still go on, you are coming to live in the castle with us. You can be his mistress, and no one will ever know, and I definitely won't tell. So don't even worry about it, now. You two WILL be together no matter what."

"What? Marina, I...won't that...you and Jack will be married, I can't-"

Marina held a hand up to silence her. "Marriage and being in love are sadly not the same thing. They can come together, but they're not the same. Besides, it's not as if you guys would be sneaking around behind my back, whether or not I loved him. He knows about Spencer and I, and he's fine with it. And I know about the two of you, and I'm more than fine with it! Sally... Really, it's okay. We all have an understanding with each other, we know what's going on. Call it an open relationship, that's pretty much what's going on here."

She then leaned over to hold her sister's hands. "Sally...you're my sister, and I want, first and foremost, for _you_ to be happy. You've had so little, so less than you deserve, and I don't want that to happen anymore. You and Jack are perfect for each other, and I want you two to be happy. So that's why you are living with us when this is over. You and Jack will be able to see each other whenever, and I'll still be able to see Spencer. Yes, this is all terrible and scandalous, and we could get caught, and sneaking around isn't the right thing. But I don't care. Love is what counts, afterlife is...well, maybe not short, but it still shouldn't be wasted on a loveless marriage, or a lonely existence.

Yes, I know you don't NEED a man to be complete, but you shouldn't ignore the desire to be with someone you love just to make some kind of feminist statement. If you want to be with Jack, make it happen, because I sure as heck will be doing that. I am sick of being the one coming in between you and Jack. Because you know what? I'm not the evil mastermind sister who wants Jack all to herself. I want you two to be happy." Marina smiled more. "Okay?"

Sally blinked, feeling the weight of Marina's words sink in, and just feel as if...well, a weight had been lifted. Things were going to be all right. She had something to look forward to. Something to hope for. She could not believe what Marina was trying to do, and yet, despite all the sneaky undertones involved on either side, it was very sweet. With a smile, she hugged her sister warmly.

"_Thank__ you_..."

Grinning, Marina hugged her back. "Anytime, Sal."


	13. Party Night

**XD Not much to say about this chapter! Just things escalating between our lovers! Well hey, now there's some assurance for them now, right? OwO That's always a good thing! How will that turn out? Well, I guess we'll see!**

**Warning...there is a tinge of sexual content. In fact, later on, there WILL be...er...some mentions of it. Ahem... Just letting you know!**

**But it will be nothing too graphic. I'm just warning you AHEAD OF TIME.**

**Enjoy! :)**

* * *

><p>"Are you ready, Sally?" Marina came into Sally's room as her sister was getting ready.<p>

"Just about." Sally stood up and faced her sister, nervously. "Do I look all right? I...I want to look nice, but I also don't want to seem as if...I'm...you know..."

"Don't worry, I understand." Marina winked. "So let's have a look see."

Sally was wearing a dress she had made for the event, which was a fairly medium shade of gray. It was long, an inch or two above her ankles, long sleeves, and had a low, round neckline, but still very modest. Her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail that was tied back with a bat-shaped bow. A larger version was tied around her waist, tied in the back. Along with this she wore her usual black shoes, and a black bangle bracelet on each wrist, which Marina loaned to her to use. The special piece of all of this, was a beautiful necklace Jack had given her as a gift. Of course, the story behind it to anyone who asked, is that Marina had bought it and let Sally use it whenever she liked. It was a gorgeous jewelled pumpkin pendant on a silver chain, which was also aligned with little orange stones, as well as little onyxes.

She looked simple, but still quite pretty.

"Ooooh, very nice! I see what you're doing. You look all pretty and presentable, but not overdoing it." Marina nodded in approval. "Trying to keep things on the down low and not raise suspicion, eh? ...But I'm afraid you're gonna fail!"

"What?" Sally's eyes widened. "I-I'm not even wearing makeup or-"

Marina laughed. "Silly, I mean Jack is going to find you drop-dead, excuse the pun, gorgeous! Duh! You could be wearing a paper bag with mud and dirt all over you, and he'd still find you beautiful! Come on, you know that by now."

"...Oh..." Sally blushed heavily, looking down at the floor.

"All right, all right, no more teasing." Marina giggled. "Anyway, the carriage is here and Mom and Dad are waiting for us downstairs. Shall we go?"

Sally nodded, and then followed her out of the room. She just hoped things would go all right tonight, and not lead to either of them getting carried away. Yet, she knew by now that it would be hard for them to keep away from each other.

Then again...it had been hard to do so back even before they were secretly seeing each other. Now that they were, well, it surely was going to prove to be even harder.

It was, of course, part of what got them into this. The fact that despite everything at hand, they just couldn't stay away from each other, no matter how hard they tried. Worrisome, yes.

* * *

><p>The parlour was PACKED. It almost felt like the royal ball all over again, though not as many people were around. An early dinner had been served earlier, and given that both Jack and Sally were seated far from each other (much to their dismay deep down), they had managed to get through it with only a few glances toward each other, despite how distantly apart they were.<p>

Then came when all the guests were moved to the parlour. Family and friends from _either __side_ were present. Aunts, uncles, and cousins, and some friends. All to celebrate the engagement.

Both Jack and Marina put on friendly smiles and chatted warmly with everyone and kept things up for the sake of appearances, but that was it. There was nothing more beyond that. It reminded them all the more just how much this felt like nothing more than some kind of glorified media phenomenon. And that's all it really was. They smiled and did all they could to keep up appearances, but deep down, they were unhappy. As much as they were friends, and knew that being married to one another would be the furthest from terrible in a general standing sense, it just didn't work at all. Did no one realize that?

If they did, no one cared. The very Prince himself and one of the Kingdom's most sought-after women with high achievements were coming together. To eyes of others, it was a match made in Halloween Heaven.

But to them, it was not.

Most especially in the love department. Jack was in love with Sally, who loved him back. Marina was in love with Spencer, who loved her back. Both of them had that secret, being in a secret love affair with someone they loved. In a sense, the mutual understanding and knowledge of it really did help. It helped them understand each other and what they were going through, and having to face it together as well. For that, they were grateful in the fact that it was each other they had been betrothed to.

But was it enough? Would it all work?

Only time could tell. In the long run, they would just have to do their best on the journey, and see where it will take them.

The past three hours were a blur for them. They smiled, posed for pictures, spoke happily to their own or future-in-law family members, chatted with their friends, all of this went on for quite some time, that it felt like a blur and yet so slowly at the same time.

Of course, by then, Jack was feeling restless. He had only ever been able to greet Sally (as platonically as he could muster), and then had not exchanged one word beyond a hello since then. He could only look at her. Either because she was too far away from him and he couldn't make his way to her for whatever reason, or because he was swamped with everyone else trying to talk to him. He appreciated their company and was glad to see them, so he was as patient and kind as possible, not at all swaying from that.

But after a few hours of this, he wanted a moment alone with Sally...if that were possible. Even for just five minutes! Six days apart with no correspondence were of course no big deal, he certainly survived just fine. It just didn't stop those pangs of sadness in how he missed her.

After some time, Jack politely excused himself (with Bonejangles giving him a wink) and went over to where Sally was sitting alone in a corner. No one else was paying any attention, so it was perfect.

"Jack!" Sally said in a soft voice so no one would hear. "You...you came to see me."

"Of course I did, Sally. I'd been trying to all evening." Jack admitted, looking a bit sheepish. "Are you all right? I'm so sorry, this must be so boring for you."

"No...it's all right. I managed to chat with Emily and some of the girls I met before who are here, before they had to attend to some other guests." Sally explained. "So I wasn't too lonely."

"That's good." Jack sighed with relief. "Listen, everyone is distracted right now...do you want to go up to the observatory? Even for just a few minutes."

Blushing, Sally felt as if she hand a pounding heart, and she nodded. "Of course..."

"All right..." Jack smiled widely. "So listen, let's wait about two or three minutes, and then I'll exit through one doorway, and then you wait about five minutes or so and then exit through another doorway. If anyone comes to ask, and hopefully they won't..."

"I can tell them I'm going to the bathroom." Sally finished.

"That would work." Jack nodded. "I'll be up in the observatory by then, come right up to it. You remember how to get to it, right?"

Sally nodded. "Yes, I do."

"Right then." Jack smiled, and squeezed her hand for a moment before he headed off within the crowd to "mingle" a little.

A little time passed, and at precisely 9:17, that was when Jack excused himself and made his escape. At 9:22, that was when Sally rose up from her seat and left the room, without even really being noticed. Aside from Marina, who of course made no distinction of her exit.

By 9:23, Sally made it up to the observatory, where Jack had pulled down some blinds that were on the frontal windows facing the town, just to be safe.

"Sally!" Jack turned around from what he'd been doing, and faced her completely, his smile growing. "You made it..."

"Of course I did..." Sally took a few steps toward him.

On impulse, or even just because of the growing passion, the two practically threw themselves at each other and were immediately engaged in a deep, searing kiss. Sally utterly melted within the pure bliss, and brought her arms around his neck, while she felt herself being brought closer as Jack encircled his arms around her waist. It wasn't easy, with their little love affair being so young, and having had gone nearly a week without seeing each other at all.

Neither knew how long they were a bit too lost in their rather passionate make out session, but they finally pulled back from each other, a bit breathless.

"I really wanted to see you, and your plan worked. I got out of there without anyone seeing me go." Sally whispered softly, her eyes still closed in bliss.

"Worked like a charm, then." Jack chuckled, and then truly took in her appearance. He had earlier on a few times, never failing to see how lovely she looked. But now it was great to finally get a look at her without some kind of hindrance. "Sally...you look very lovely tonight." One of the first things he'd noticed all evening and truly did now, was how she was wearing the necklace he'd gotten her.

"It's not much...but I wanted to look nice anyway." Sally said shyly, looking toward him with a smile, bringing her hands behind her back.

Jack chuckled, he could never get enough of her adorable little shy gestures. She was so cute. "You certainly did a fine job in that. Did you make that dress yourself?"

"I did. Do you like it?" She asked with a smile.

"Of course! But even if I didn't, come now, that shouldn't degrade your hard work or its value." Jack smiled, taking her hands in his.

Sally giggled, blushing a bit more. "That's true. I just value your opinion, and am curious sometimes as to what you have to say about certain things..."

"Really? Well, I definitely appreciate that a lot, Sally. Even if the opinion of an old skeleton like me can be silly sometimes." Jack chuckled, grinning at her widely.

"You are not old." Sally giggled.

"Compared to you, I am."

"I still don't think so, Jack."

"You want to bet?"

"Maybe."

The two of them shared a little laugh at their silly off-topic banter.

Jack then released his hands and brought Sally close into an embrace, running one hand along her low ponytail. "Sally, you're such a joy... Going days without hearing your wonderful voice or your touch can really get to a guy like me."

Sally giggled, bringing her arms around his neck. "We've been apart longer than that before, Jack."

"True, but it does still sting." Jack winked at her.

"Jack..."

"Oh, Sally..."

Almost immediately they started kissing, passionately. Their holds on each other tightened all the more as their bodies came flush together. Unable to help himself, Jack led Sally toward the sofa, still locked in their kiss, and lowered her onto it gently, though quickly.

Parting from her lips, Jack kissed her nose sweetly, smiling at how she giggled in response, before he brought his attention to her long, thin neck. He proceeded to kiss along the area, up, down, and across, especially along the seams there. The sweet sounds of her soft gasps, that soon melted into moans, immediately met his ears.

"Are you...c-certain no one will...know we're here?" Sally asked amidst moans, opening her eyes.

"Positive." Jack paused in his ministrations to answer her. "And even if they do find out, you know the stairs leading up here are long, we'll have plenty of time to...well, remedy the situation so no one would know."

"Oh..." Sally felt assured and nodded very slightly. "All right, Ja-ooooh..."

Jack chuckled a bit as he tried a new tactic, which was gently sinking his teeth along the seam, but careful not to undo the stitches. Seeing that she liked it, he continued that for a bit before resuming kissing along her neck, going lower toward her neck and shoulder junction. Her hands then came to his shoulders for leverage, gently squeezing. She had such talented hands!

"_Sally_...have I ever told you how much I love you?"

"Mmm...you have..."

Chuckling, Jack kissed further up, along her rounded jawline. "I'll tell you as much as you like, and I can tell you right now."

"Jack..." Sally giggled, beaming. "You're really sweet, you don't have to tell me...for me to know...but...I won't stop you."

"I would have anyway!" Jack quipped, and then kissed her face sweetly, speaking between them. "Sally, it isn't just about how beautiful you are, or how lovely your smile is, the way your stitches and seams make you utterly distinguished...it's _all_ of you." He kissed her cheek. "You may be shy and very soft-spoken, but when you're in the right mood and setting, it's amazing how you can speak your mind and let everyone know what you're thinking. You're a very strong woman in your own way, that's for sure. You're very smart, articulate, and thoughtful." He kissed her nose. "Have a good head on your shoulders...well, that goes without saying. You're very kind, gentle, sweet...and so innocent in a way, but so _aware_ of things."

Sally blushed, turning a bit red. "Jack...It's just how I am...I'm nothing special."

"You don't have to be. But even so, you _are_ special to me, Sally." Jack said sweetly, and kissed her eyelids. "You've brought a lot of joy, sunshine, happiness, and above all, warmth into my life. Until I met you, I never thought I would fall in love. I know that's strange to say, but it's true. You know, they say it takes the right person to realize such things, and I guess that makes sense. ...Do you think that's silly, Sally?"

"No." Sally shook her head. "Not at all, Jack...I've always believed that."

Smiling more, Jack kissed her forehead, now stroking her scalp with one hand. "And you understand me, Sally...that's something I can't help but love that about you. You _listen_ to me, and you take the time to understand what I say about things, even if you may not agree or you haven't experienced it." He gently traced her facial features tenderly. "It's wonderful to talk to someone who listens. You're a very good listener, and I like that a lot about you."

"...Thank you, Jack..." Sally smiled warmly, feeling so glad he felt she understood him, and even complimented the fact she tended to be more of a listener than a talker. "...Marina always said I was a woman of a few words...and that I listened a lot more than I spoke."

"You balance them both just fine, Sally." Jack assured, kissing her cheeks again. "You know when to listen, and when to just talk or give advice. You're very perceptive, and insightful. And I love all of that about you. How much do I love you? It's hard to say, but I know it's true." He kissed her sweetly on the lips, stroking her scalp yet again, and pulled away. "I love you more than anything, Sally...my darling Sally."

"Jack..." Sally cooed, and then brought his face back down to hers for another kiss. She just couldn't help the wondrous sense of joy coursing through her. She just felt so loved. When they became friends after first meeting, she felt like a regular person who was treated with respect. And then upon falling in love, it grew all the more. She just hoped she made him feel the same way, feeling loved like this.

Being in love, though it could be tough and painful at times to be sure, but there were plenty of instances when the great, wonderful things about it could truly outweigh its tougher sides. It was through this that she was coming to see what being in love with someone was all about. There was still quite a way to go, and she hoped to discover more.

They parted, and Sally nuzzled his cheek sweetly.

"I love you too, I love you... You make me feel so loved...it's something I never would've imagined. ...I...I hope you feel loved, too. I love you." She then planted kisses along his face as well.

Jack's smile grew so much, shaking his head a little. '_Sally,__ always __so__ caring __and __selfless, __thinking __of__ others __as __well..._' "Believe me, Sally, I do. I've never felt so loved like this before. To love you, and for you to love me too, is better than _Halloween_ itself."

A surprised look came to her face, but she smiled. "You can't possibly mean that."

"Halloween is a treasured holiday here to be sure, but it'll always be here. But you, Sally, are a very different thing than a holiday." Once more Jack played with her hair again, and moved along to stroke her scalp. "Holidays can't talk to me. I can't hold them, kiss them..." He quipped, winking at her.

Sally just laughed, shaking her head. "Jack...what am I going to do with you?"

"I ask myself that about you all the time." Jack chuckled, and kissed her forehead. "What _will_ I do with you, my sweet Sally? ...Mm, no, better yet. What would I do without you?"

At this, Sally exhaled again, smiling as she nuzzled her face into his neck gently. "I...ask myself the same thing, too. I don't know what I would do without you, Jack. I can't imagine...my life never knowing you."

"If I never knew you...who knows when I would ever learn what love is." Jack said honestly, and now sat up on the couch, bringing her up with him. He gently brought her in his lap, which she happily settled into, and held her close. Stroking her hair thoughtfully with one hand, he sighed upon inhaling her lovely scent. Pumpkin spice, autumn, warmth, and a some dead flower perfume. "You give me strength, Sally... I know for sure now, more than ever, that I would be lost without you." He held her a bit tighter.

Bringing her arms around him, Sally snuggled her head under his, within his neck again and closed her eyes. "I would too. Perhaps...Perhaps one day I would gain freedom, and be able to assert my life as I want it to. But...well, if knew then what I know now, I don't know what I would do if I never knew you. ...Jack, I love you...and I...I'll..." She clung to him a bit tighter, fighting back tears. "Even if something happens...I'll always love you..."

"Sally, it's okay..." Jack continued stroking her hair gently to soothe her. "You don't have to be afraid. But, I understand." He whispered gently toward her ear. "No matter what happens, no other woman could ever give to me what you do. I love you, and I always will. You're my best friend, Sally. Don't forget this, okay?"

"I-I won't..." Sally took a breath and calmed herself. "I promise."

"Good then, I promise you that, too." Jack lay his skull against her hair, relishing the sweet, soft feel of it. "Sally...?"

"Mm-hmm?" Sally murmured, closing her eyes again.

"...Would it be too forward of me to say...that I wish it were you I was marrying?" Jack whispered into her ear.

Sally's eyes slowly went open as she processed his words, and felt...so warm, so touched, and smiled. "...No. ...I wished the same thing ever since I knew how much I was in love with you." She could remember how heartbroken Marina seemed when it all seemed to come through like this, that it felt as if she were the one standing in the way of their happiness with each other.

But neither Jack or Sally resented Marina at all. It wasn't her fault. It wasn't either of their faults. They say you can't help who you fall in love with. And that was pretty much what had happened.

None the less, Jack chuckled then, kissing her hair. "I felt the same way, Sally."

Sally giggled, snuggling more against him as she felt sleepy...and just so happy being snuggled and nestled against him like this. She had fallen asleep in his arms before, it had been the most wonderful feeling in the world. "I love you, Jack..."

"I love you too, my Sally...my darling Sally..." Jack said sweetly. "...Sally? Are you all right?" Her breathing was slowing, growing even. "...Are you sleeping?"

"...No...just resting my eyes." Sally murmured in her half-dozed state.

"Oh." Jack chuckled, but knew full well that she was falling asleep more and more by the minute. "...Go to sleep, my love. You're tired...you must have had a long day. You can rest."

"Mmm..." Sally mumbled in response, falling more and more asleep. That was the last thing she heard before she fell asleep a couple of minutes later.

Jack, though not tired then, couldn't help but relax as he held a sleeping Sally close to him in his embrace. There was just something so sweet about how she slept. How peaceful and adorable she looked. '_She__ really __is...such __a__ beautiful__ girl. __When__ she __sleeps,__ it's __as __if __she __has __wonderful __nightmares __all __night. __I__ hope __she __is __right __now, __too._'

Footsteps coming up the stairs alerted him, and he was nearly about to regrettably move Sally off him, only to see a head of green hair pop into view. It had only been Marina.

"Jack! This is where you two sneaked off to make out, wasn't it?" Marina smirked, and then noticed her sister sleeping. "Awwww...she fell asleep in your arms! How adorable..."

Smiling bashfully, Jack just looked down a bit, unsure of how to respond. "Y-Yes, she did..."

"Awwwww!" Marina giggled and lowered her voice. "Well, I just wanted to be the one to find you two, in case you were...well, really making out somewhere! And I had a feeling you'd be here. I hate to break this up too, but everyone's wondering where you are."

"...I knew it." Jack sighed. "...Marina, if it's not too much trouble, could Sally possibly sleep in one of the guest rooms? I can see she's had a long day, and I don't want to wake her up and when you and your family go home tonight."

"Ohhh...yeah, that is a bit of a pickle." Marina bit her lip, thinking a moment. "Ooh! I got it! I'll stay here, too. She and I can share the room, and that way no one will be any the wiser! We'll stick to that truth, she fell asleep and we didn't want wake her up to take her home, so I decided to stay here with her. Let's bring her down to one of the guest rooms, then we'll go back to the party and I'll tell Daddy and Mom what's going on."

"All right." Jack nodded, and carefully shifted Sally so as not to wake her, and stood up as he carried her bridal style.

The two headed downstairs, quietly as they could, and headed toward the quarter rooms. Making sure the coast was clear, Marina went up ahead and peered into some of the guest rooms, finding one with two beds. She opened the door, allowing Jack on through to take Sally in.

"I'll wait for you in the hall, Jack." Marina said, before disappearing from the doorway.

"All right." Jack said, and then gently lay Sally on one of the beds. He managed to bring the covers over her, making sure she was nicely tucked in. Once she was, he smiled lovingly and gently stroked some of her hair from her face. "Goodnight, my darling...sleep well, and have pleasant nightmares." He kissed her on the forehead and then headed to the door. He glanced at her once more, and then shut the door behind him.

* * *

><p>The plan seemed to work. When Jack and Marina returned downstairs, Marina told their half-truth story. Sally had gone to get some air and relax a bit, since she was very tired, and didn't want to be rude and fall asleep in the middle of the party. Jack was keeping her company, and Marina soon joined them. Then Sally fell asleep, and they took her to one of the guest rooms. That was their story, and much to their relief, both their sets of parents believed them.<p>

Dr. Finkelstein was reluctant, but allowed his daughters to stay for the night, while Jewel was fine with it. Frederick and Patricia were of course fine fine with this, despite it seeming quite sudden.

Soon the party dissipated, and once it did, that was when Jack and Marina said their goodnights to one another and went off to their own rooms to get to bed for the night.


	14. Caught

**Okay folks! This where things begin to, very sadly, fall apart. :( But, there is some good to come from it all! :D OwO**

**So don't worry, you know how the story will end. :) I just hope you'll enjoy the journey!**

* * *

><p>Sally awoke the next morning, and the first thing she knew that she was not in her room. Her bed was more spacious, and had a softer mattress. But where was she? Was she dreaming? What was going on?<p>

"Good morning, sleepy!" Came Marina's voice.

Sitting up in the bed, Sally stretched her arms and rubbed her eyes. She saw Marina sitting in the other bed adjacent to her. She suddenly recognized this room, it was very much alike the room they had stayed in the very first time they came to visit the mansion. That meant they never went home? But why? What had happened? Why were they here?

"Marina...I...what's happened?" Sally blinked sleepily.

"You fell asleep last night, silly!" Marina grinned. "And in Jack's arms, I might add! It was so cute! I found the two of you in the observatory, and you had already fallen asleep in his arms! Awwwww! And he didn't want to wake you up, so we decided that you and I spend the night here, and then we'll go home this afternoon! Plain and simple! Aww, he was so sweet, Sally! He put you to bed here, had a maid come to bring you some clothes you could wear, and just wanted to make sure you were okay! I stayed here with you, so I could look after you and so as not to rouse any suspicion at all. And don't worry, Mom and Daddy were fine with it...albeit reluctantly on Daddy's part. Jack's parents were fine with it too, so don't worry!"

"...Oh...so we...I..." Sally could not believe she actually fell asleep, and in Jack's arms no less. Yes, she had fallen asleep while laying her head against his shoulder a couple of times, but not like this.

She even looked down, now seeing that she was in a nightgown, and there was a pair of fresh clothes on the small stool at the foot of her bed. Getting up, though a bit wobbly, Sally went over to see what had been laid out. There was a lovely dark blue peasant dress, along with a gray, short-sleeved wrap. Along with that was also the dress she had worn the night before.

"I didn't want to wake you up, but I did for maybe half a second, and I changed you." Marina explained, and giggled. "You were so out of it and delirious, and wondering where Jack was!"

Sally blushed. "I...I was?"

"Yep!" Marina laughed. "You're so cute! Anyway, why don't you go get changed and we'll go down for breakfast? That's why I came back in here anyway, to see if you were awake, since I went down to see if everything was going well."

"Oh...well, all right." Sally nodded, taking the clothes and then going over to the changing screen, disappearing behind it. Once she was all dressed, she stepped back out, and took a brush that was set out for her, brushing her hair.

"Ooh, how lovely!" Marina complimented. "There was such a nice maid, her name was Celeste, and she said you could keep the clothes and the nightgown!"

"What? But, they're not mine, I-"

"Nope! Jack even said it was all right too, and Celeste wanted to let you keep them anyway. She adores you!" Marina grinned.

"Oh...well...I'll have to thank them both, then." Sally blushed.

"Awesome! Well, shall we, sis?"

Sally nodded, and then followed her sister out of the room.

XXX

When the girls came downstairs and into the sitting room, Jack was already there. He grinned upon seeing them enter and immediately crossed the room to greet them.

"Good morning, girls!" He said, shaking Marina's hand, and then holding Sally's hands in his. "Did you both sleep well?"

"Uh-huh, we did! Thanks so much for letting us stay last night, Jack!" Marina said with a smile before she went to go sit down on one of the sofas.

"Oh, anytime! You know you girls are always welcome here." Jack waved it off, grinning more as he turned his attention to Sally. His gaze grew softer as he looked at her lovingly, squeezing her hands gently. "Sally...good morning, my darling." He kissed her tenderly, lingering for a few moments and then pulling away.

"Awwwww!" Marina giggled nearby.

Blushing, but smiling lovingly in return, Sally nuzzled her cheek against his hands for a moment. "Good morning, Jack... Um...I wanted to thank you...for...for letting me sleep here, and for the clothes..."

"No need to thank me, Sally! I didn't want to wake you up, especially when you had to be taken home." Jack chuckled, and now brought his arms around her, embracing her. "You look very lovely, by the way."

"Thank you..." Sally reciprocated the embrace without hesitation.

Marina smiled as she watched the two of them embrace, a feeling of happiness coursed through her heart. They really were just such a horribly adorable couple, she could just feel it as she looked at them. Even if she knew neither of them, it wouldn't be hard to guess that they had such strong chemistry and loved each other so much. She just hoped all would go well, but, she had a bad feeling something was going to happen to them, and tear them apart. But she hoped not. She knew how devastated and heartbroken her sister would be if that happened. After all this time that she had been happier than she ever did in her entire existence?

No. Marina did not want to see that happen to her. She wanted nothing more than for her sister to be happy. It was already bad enough that she herself was to marry the man her sister had fallen in love with. But to have them eventually get torn apart, while she would remain within the plan? It hurt her heart to think.

But she had a bad feeling something was going to go wrong.

* * *

><p>Later on, after breakfast, Frederick returned to his office to resume some work he had to do. Patricia joined him in his office to help out, and the King and Queen were soon looking over some paperwork together. This was a morning routine for them, in which they would get their paperwork and other such things done during the morning, for as long as they needed to, until the afternoon. Over the years, they learned that working hard was a good thing, but then again, not to overwork. Patricia especially played a hand in telling her husband when to stop working and just relax for a while.<p>

Yes, being King and Queen was a huge responsibility, and this they took very, very seriously. But in time, they knew to take care of themselves as well, to feel better and be able to work as best as they could.

But, paperwork was just not on their minds right now.

What concerned them now was their son.

Something was up with him, that much they could tell. Whatever it was, they had a feeling that getting him to fall in love with his future bride just wasn't working. All this time, they could still see that there was absolutely no sparks between them whatsoever. Sure, they had grown to be fairly good friends and were a lot less awkward, but it just wasn't quite it. There was no love, no attraction, nothing of the sort between them. Why was this?

At first, they simply attributed it to the fact he simply wasn't in love with her. And even right now, they were still right. However, the discovery of something a little more, was what cemented it.

Frederick had looked out the window that overlooked the garden, and could see Jack there now, walking around with someone. By the head of copper red hair, he was surprised to see that he was walking with Sally. While he knew far well of the fact that his son was good friends with her, he couldn't help but feel concerned at seeing them together sometimes. The attraction, the sparks between them, their intense chemistry, was just far too mutual, far too _strong_ to be ignored. Frederick knew they were infatuated with one another, and this still concerned him very much.

His worst fears were confirmed at the sight of Jack bringing Sally into his arms in an embrace that clearly wasn't one to happen between two friends. As much as he hated spying on his son, he had to get down to the truth.

Frederick took a pair of binoculars, and focused in on his son and the rag doll. Jack was saying something to her, and judging by the loving, soft look in his eye sockets and how he was smiling...it had to be something sweet. Sally said something in return, and then brought her arms around his neck. Jack held her tighter and then, much to his horror, kissed her deeply. Lowering his binoculars, Frederick wasn't sure what to think.

"Honey? Honey, what are you looking at?" Patricia asked in concern.

Sighing, he faced his wife with a grim look. "Our son is having an affair with Sally the rag doll, the Finkelstein maid...the illegitimate sister of Marina. They're kissing in the garden right now."

The Queen's eye sockets went wide with shock. She then stood up, went to the window, and peered out, taking the binoculars from him. Indeed, Jack and Sally were locked in a romantic embrace as they shared a searing kiss in the garden. Patricia lowered the binoculars, still very wide-eyed, and she sat back next to her husband's chair.

"...Fred...I don't know what to say." She finally said, her bony hands clutching the binoculars tightly. "Our son...is having an _affair_...with a woman he isn't marrying!"

Frederick sighed, running a hand along his skull. "I knew the attraction and chemistry between those two was very strong, but I never...never would've thought that our own son would actually have an affair."

"He's in love with her." Patricia said grimly. "I want to believe it's just lust, but even I know Jack would never fall into that if it was lust alone."

"I believe it." Frederick agreed. "Oh, Pat... I hate to be the enemy here, I really do. I want to be happy for Jack in falling in love, but, we can't let him do this. He has to think about his duties as the future King."

"I don't want to be the enemy here either, honey." Patricia's gaze casted downward, tears running down her skull. "I want to be happy for him, I'm happy he found love...but this can't go on. Marrying Marina is what he needs to do."

"He'll resent us if we keep this up, but we have no choice. I don't want our son to resent us either, dear. But there's nothing we can do. ...I have to tell the Finkelsteins, they have to know about this. They can't see each other."

Patricia looked shocked. "Darling...you're not!"

"I have to, honey. Do you think I want to do this?" Frederick stood up, looking defeated. "I hate myself for doing this, but I have to. They can't see each other, not at all. He has to uphold his duties above all else."

"...You're right." The Queen began to cry. "I just wish our son's happiness wasn't at stake."

Bones lurching, Frederick headed out to go make the dreaded announcement to his longtime friend. He hated to have to do this to his own son, even if he was betraying them with his affair.

* * *

><p>As expected, Dr. Finkelstein did NOT take this news well.<p>

"WHAT?.!.? You have to be kidding me! That wretched girl!" Dr. Finkelstein angrily pounded the table with his small fists.

"Darling..." Jewel coaxed.

"I'm afraid so." Frederick said grimly. "My son is having an affair with your creation, as I just said."

"That wretched girl is trumping on Marina's future and happiness! I knew she was jealous and resentful of her, but this is madness!" Dr. Finkelstein said angrily, holding his bolted head. "She gave him some kind of potion, and wanted him all for herself! She wants revenge on us, I bet that's it!"

"Dear, come now...Sally isn't like that." Jewel said. "She's likely just very much in lust with him, and Jack thinks he's in love."

Frederick didn't say anything to that, but went on. "We have to separate them. My son needs to uphold his duties, and your daughter is the one he is to marry. I hate to ask this of you, but I need you to keep your creation away from him." He looked pained as he said this, very pained.

"It will be done, I assure you. That wretched girl is not leaving this house or her room _ever_ again." Dr. Finkelstein promised.

While Frederick wanted to tell him not to do something so drastic, he knew it was not his place to say. "I am very sorry for the trouble, friend. I cannot believe this has happened."

"Don't blame yourself Fred, if anything, blame that treacherous Sally."

But the King just couldn't. He couldn't fault his son for falling in love. After all, you can't help who you fall in love with.

"Again, I'm sorry." Frederick stood up. "I'll leave now, I have some matters to attend to."

Dr. Finkelstein nodded, bidding his old friend a farewell before he wheeled his way back to his lab, grumbling to himself. Jewel, however, stayed behind, and she stood up, pursing her equally-shaped duckbill lips.

"I'm very sorry for this, Sire." She said kindly.

"It's not your fault, Lady Finkelstein." Frederick assured with a small smile. "We'll settle all of this." And with that, he bid her farewell and then left.

* * *

><p>"All righty, we're home." Marina hopped off the wagon, and then helped Sally down. "You all right, Sal?"<p>

"I'm fine, Marina." Sally smiled. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Marina smiled sadly. The bad feeling she had from earlier didn't leave her. In fact, she felt something very uneasy in the air. "Nothing. Let's go inside."

The girls tipped the driver, and then went up the front walk to the Finkelstein abode. Marina took out her keys and was about to unlock the front door, but found it to be unlocked. Shrugging, she opened the door, and they went inside, closing the door behind them.

"Mom! Daddy! We're home!" Marina called up the ramp.

"Sally." Jewel came into view, looking down at the rag doll with a bit of a harsh, yet worried gaze. "Come upstairs right now. We need to talk."

Gulping a bit, Sally only nodded and went up the ramp toward her other creator, while Marina followed. Upon reaching the second level, they went to the dining room, where Dr. Finkelstein and Jewel waited.

"Sit. Now." Dr. Finkelstein ordered Sally as she sat down quickly. "Marina dear, you go and practice your music. We need to teach _Sally_ a lesson."

"But Daddy-" Marina began.

"Go, dear." Jewel told her sternly. "Please."

Frowning, Marina left the room, closing the door behind her partway. She feigned walking away, and then crept to the crack in the door to listen in.

Nervously clasping her hands on her lap, Sally had a bad feeling about all this. But what were they so angry about? It had to be something she did, that much she knew. She was about to ask what was wrong, but was cut off by an angry raging rant.

"You _WRETCHED GIRL!_ You've been sneaking around behind all of our backs, especially behind Marina's back! Don't think we don't know now... You...YOU! You _sicken_ me! Having an affair with poor Jack like that! How _dare_ you rope him into your sick, sick, sick fangirl fantasies!" Dr. Finkelstein growled. "You should be ashamed of yourself! Do you have any idea of what you could be doing to his reputation? To his future kingship? And our own dear daughter?.!"

Sally's eyes widened and she gasped. They knew. They knew about her affair with Jack. How they found out, she didn't know, but there was no two ways about it. They knew about it. She was in big trouble now. Worse off, what if Jack was in trouble too? Did his parents know?

"Do you have any idea how serious this is?" Jewel snapped, though in a softer tone.

"...Yes." Sally looked down at her lap in shame. "I'm...I'm sorry."

"Sorry! HA! Don't say such stupid nonsense. You're not sorry! You had every intention to bring him down to your wretched level! All to worm your way into a life of riches and luxury and royalty...what a horrible wretched being you've become! So greedy and selfish, you're despicable!" Dr. Finkelstein slammed his fist into the table. "To think you would use a good man like Jack for your greedy needs!"

Something in Sally just snapped, like a twig. She could not believe he would say that. She felt terrible, yes, but she was not about to take _that_ lying down. No. Not when it would look like Jack meant nothing but money to her. That was far from true. To her, Jack was always Jack Skellington first and the Prince of the Kingdom of the Undead second. She didn't even care about his title, not in the least. As much as she was proud of him and had a lot of faith in him being a good King one day, no denying that, she didn't let that define him as a whole, and also did not use that to define his worth. Jack was more than just a Prince to her. Far more.

"That's not true!" Sally cried in desperation. "I love him, Doctor! I love him! I would never use him, or anyone for that matter, just for money...I-I could never do that... I love Jack...he's more than just a Prince to me. Please, understand...I was not out for any kind of riches or luxury, I swear. I _love him_. I wanted to be with him. I acted selfishly in that regard, yes. But I swear to you it had _nothing_ to do with his status." Tears pooled in her eyes, pleading for them to understand.

Jewel's stern gaze softened, and she nodded slowly before placing her hand on her husband's shoulder, who grumbled in anger.

"Fine then. But that doesn't change that you are _**NEVER**_ to see him again! If I am ever to catch you with him, I will _burn your body_!" Dr. Finkelstein threatened.

"Dear, please. Don't be rash." Jewel coaxed, and looked at Sally. "He is right, however. You are _not_ to see Jack, not alone, ever again. The affair stops today, right now. Is that clear?"

Sniffling, Sally gave a short nod. "Yes."

"Now get out of my face. You are to remain in your room at _all times_. Now GO!"

Without a single word, not even a sound, Sally got up and left the room in tears.

Sighing, Jewel faced her husband. "Dear...you're not surely going to go through with it are you?"

"It's the only way, my dear." Dr. Finkelstein said in a softer, gruff tone. "I will be glad to be rid of her forever, and without upsetting Marina too much."

* * *

><p>Inside Sally's bedroom, Marina stood by her sister's bed, looking utterly heartbroken. She could not believe her bad feeling turned out to be <em>this<em>. Her worst nightmare had come true. Sally looked miserable. Far more miserable than she had ever seen her since her creation. It was a heart-wrenching sight.

Her big, normally expressive eyes, were just dull and void of any sign of life. If she could lose colour in her skin, she surely looked paler now. Her lips were pursed, though quivering a bit at times, and she had tears running down her face.

_All she wanted was to be with someone she loved..._ Marina felt even worse about being the one in the way of her sister's happiness. She sat down next to her, bringing her arms around her and holding her close, rocking her gently. "Sally...I want you to know...I _swear_ upon everything I have...I didn't tell _anyone_ about your affair, and I didn't tell Mom or Dad. I swear."

Sniffling, Sally uttered, "I...b-believe you..." and that was all she said before she burst into tears and sobbed softly into Marina's shoulder. Marina held her, still rocking her and soothing her as best as she could. All their options were gone, and Marina knew it too. She hated this feeling. She hated feeling so lost. And most of all, she hated seeing her sister so unhappy, and being able to do nothing to solve it.

"My poor little Sally..." Marina moaned, tears of her own streaming down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry about all this. You don't deserve this, not by a long shot. I know...you love Jack as a person, the person he is inside, and that his title had nothing to do with anything. You love him for who he is. Don't ever forget that. I am so proud of you for standing up in that regard. ...I know there wasn't much else you could do, but I'm so proud of you. ...I'll still get you of here somehow. I won't let anything stop me. I promise."

Sally didn't respond, she just sobbed brokenheartedly. Marina understood, and continued to hold her and comfort her.

_Jack...please do something. Get my sister out of this damn Hell hole she's in._

* * *

><p>"Son, there is no use hiding it any longer. We know." Frederick said calmly, but sternly. "You were having an affair with Sally."<p>

Jack's eye sockets went wide, before he sighed and just looked down at the floor in shame, nodding.

"How long has this been going on?" Patricia wanted to know.

"Three months." Jack admitted shamefully.

"And yet you were engaged to Marina. Why, Jack? Why did you do this?" Frederick asked him, more stern than calm now. "Do you have any idea how much you could have hurt her?"

"Father...please understand, I did not do any of this with the intention to hurt anyone, or to rebel. And Marina and I...we're not in love. We have an understanding with each other."

"Did she know about this?" Patricia questioned.

"Yes, Mother. She knew all along that I loved Sally, and she did know about our secret affair." Jack said, now looking back up at his parents. "She was all right with it." He would have added that she encouraged it, but decided not to put her on the spot like that. "There were no secrets between us in that regard. We were honest about our feelings, so that we would know where we stood with each other, and that neither of us would be dragged along or mislead. I care about Marina and I consider her a good friend. But I am not in love with her. I'm in love with Sally."

Frederick and Patricia both exchanged glances, looking a bit sad at this, and looked back at their son.

"Son, listen...you're young, and we know that Sally is a very pretty girl, and you have really liked the idea of her, but you have to understand that she is not-"

"_No._" Jack suddenly said, his eye sockets narrowing.

"...Excuse me?" The King looked both surprised and a little bit stern.

"Father, you don't understand. You don't know her like I do. I _love her_, Father, Mother. Sally is not like any of the other girls I have known or met. Many of these girls like me for the fact that I am the Prince, as well as superficial reasons. But Sally was never like that. While she was shy and overwhelmed by me and you both as well, she would feel that way around anyone. But beyond that, she has done nothing but reach out to me, and treat me like a regular person. She talked to me, listened to me. She liked talking to me, and I liked talking to her. She isn't just some poor fangirl who is desperate for a man or desperate for money. Sally is the kindest, sweetest, most compassionate and intelligent girl I have ever known in my afterlife. That's another thing too, she's compassionate. She understands me, more than I can say. Sally has done nothing but be a good friend to me in the beginning. And I fell in love with her, for who she is, and because she saw me for who I am, and not just Jack, the future King."

Jack paused, facing his parents yet again. They looked at him with attentive gazes, and could see that they were taking all of this in. After another brief pause, he went on.

"And I know far well by now that this isn't some kind of a fling. I love Sally, more than anything in the world, Father. I just want you to understand that."

Both the King and Queen took in what their son was telling them. There was no trace of doubt, deceit, irony, nothing in his face or within his eye sockets about what he had said. Jack was not an idiot, he would have chosen true love over a casual, lusty fling any day. Yes, they knew now more than ever that Jack did love Sally. It pained them all the more, since it made them feel as if they were the bad guys, ruining his life. It wasn't as if they wanted to, far from it. But there was no choice in the matter. Family and legacy were far important, and sometimes, it took great sacrifice to uphold them.

"Son..." Frederick sighed, softening into concerned father mode. "I understand how you feel. I can see you do love Sally...but I'm afraid being with her is just not possible."

"I don't understand." Jack frowned. "Sally is just as much a part of that family as Marina is."

"...She is not." Patricia said. "...Fred, tell him."

"Sally is not a Finkelstein, not legitimately. She is exactly as she is, a rag doll. She was created to be a second child, but failed in that, and was to be a maid instead. But either way, she was created, and is not a legitimate child of the family. She was brought along on their first visit due to the insistence of Marina, given that she is indeed very fond of her and thinks of her as a sister. Marina is the true Finkelstein heiress." Frederick explained. "Do you understand that now, son?"

While a little surprised, there was a part of Jack that somehow expected something like this. It was no wonder Sally was so mistreated while Marina was considered an angel to her parents. Then again, that wasn't fair to her. She did still live in the house with them, and surely participated within family meals and sit-downs, didn't she? She was isolated and alone most of the time, which broke his heart, even still to this day.

"I do understand, Father. But it will not change my mind about her." Jack said firmly. "I love Sally for who she is. Finkelstein family member or not."

Again Frederick and Patricia exchanged sorrowful glances.

"Regardless of that, Jack, you cannot see her anymore." Frederick informed him, with regret. "I'm sorry. But you have your duties to uphold, and you know far well that they take precedence above all else."

A pained look came to Jack's face then. He didn't answer, he only turned and headed to leave his father's office. His mother approached him, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Sweetheart...please try to understand...it's not as if we want you to be unhappy. You just have to realize what exactly is at stake here." Patricia said softly. "I understand you're upset. We both do."

"...Mother, not now." Jack said, moving away from her. "Please." Without waiting for a response, he left the room quietly.

Frederick sighed as he watched his son depart, and went over to his wife. "We should leave him alone for now, honey. I think this hit him very hard."

Patricia nodded. "Darling...I know we're doing the right thing, but I...I just...Oh, I feel horrible. It's no wonder he seemed so happy these past few months."

"That's very true." Frederick agreed, and hugged his wife warmly. "I don't want to be the one to rain on his parade either, but we have no choice."

"If he's happy with her..." Patricia sighed, and looked up at him then, her eye sockets glimmering with sadness. "I wish I could have said he should just go for it."

"Trust me honey, even I wanted to tell him it's his choice." Frederick sighed, shaking his head. "I just hope in time he can forgive us."

"...I don't know, dear. As much as we are trying to follow royal protocol, and as much as he may have snuck around behind our backs, we did still...take his freedom to fall in love away." Patricia sniffled a bit then.

The King and Queen embraced for some time, wishing they could do something to make things right. Not just for the royal protocol, but for their son's happiness as well.


	15. New Secrets

**I know, two chapters in one day? O.O I...couldn't resist. :3  
><strong>

**Well here we go, something really nice comes to happen! OwO Even just for now. What happens may seem rushed, but believe me, you can see why.**

**At least, I hope you can. *Sniffles***

**XD**

**Anyway, I have to make a warning.**

**WARNING: Sexual content! Rest assured, it's not graphic nor lemon. It's just a brief little mention.**

**Bonejangles, Emily and Elder Gutnecht are from **_**Corpse Bride**_**, of course. ;)**

* * *

><p>A week had passed since Jack and Sally's secret affair was exposed. The wedding was fast approaching now, in less than three weeks. With luck, the affair wasn't exposed to the press. Frederick, Patricia, Dr. Finkelstein and Jewel thought it better that they never speak of it to anyone, and just proceed with everything as planned.<p>

During all this time, it was no secret that on their sides of the world, Jack and Sally were miserable. They went about their days as normal, put on smiles that were half-hearted, and spent any free moment they had thinking about each other.

Sally was confined to her room, and wasn't even let out for meal times. Marina often brought her food to come eat with her in her room to keep her company. She felt miserable, alone, and did all she could to occupy herself. Finishing Marina's wedding dress, making some new clothes, over and over. Anything to try to keep her mind off things. But even that didn't work sometimes. Almost anything she did reminded her of him, and the love they shared. She didn't cry as much as before, and also didn't cry herself to sleep like the first night of this, but the aches and pain in her heart, if she had one, remained. Marina did all she could to cheer her up, and while Sally appreciated her efforts, it just didn't help as much as she would have hoped.

Marina too, was feeling terrible. She had even tried to coax her parents to cut Sally some slack, but they didn't budge. It was then that she was horrified to learn that they were going to take Sally to the town further off from here, where she would be as far away from here, and from Jack, as possible. She tried to plead against this, but again, they refused. She was to be taken away a few days from then. The day after the wedding, which she was surprisingly still allowed to attend, since she was the Maid of Honour, after all.

"It's for your own good." Jewel had said. "And for her own good as well."

For the first time in her life, Marina _hated_ her parents.

* * *

><p>On the night of day two, still three days before Sally was to be taken away, Jack was sitting in the observatory in deep thought. He felt so lost, so alone, and so miserable. Life without Sally was just something he wasn't looking forward to. He missed her so much.<p>

But what was he to do?

On top of that, he knew about her being relocated. He overheard it from his parents. Upon hearing it, he was heartbroken. Not just at the prospect of never seeing her again, but for her to be gone from her home, forced to live a new life.

'_My affair with Sally was both the greatest thing...and the worst, what with the fact we were caught._' Jack thought, utterly guilty. '_I cannot believe I've hurt my precious darling like this... She must be so heartbroken. When she was so brave to come to me and not hide her feelings any longer._'

For a moment, Jack mulled that night over. When she had come to the mansion, and left a basket of goodies, and then they met out on Spiral Hill, tired of pretending. Tired of hiding their love for each other. The night they had begun their love affair.

Jack literally jumped from the couch as he realized something. "Sally came to me that night... Something very brave of her." He looked out the window, seeing the Finkelstein house much further off, and that was when he made a decision. After all, there was something he knew that could work. Even for just tonight.

_'This time, it's my turn to go to her.'_

* * *

><p>Unable to sleep, Sally sat sadly by the window as she stared out into the late night. She wasn't sure what else to do at this point. Soon enough, she was going to be relocated, which admittedly scared her. She would never see Marina again, nor the nice friendly acquaintances she'd made, Emily, Bonejangles, and...Jack. She knew this was of course because of her affair, no matter how her creators tried to tell her otherwise. They clearly had "We're getting rid of you for good" tones.<p>

Tears streamed down her face, and Sally buried her face in her hands. Weeping. She felt so useless, so alone, so uncertain. Misery was overtaking her, and she didn't like feeling so worthless due to it. Try as she may, going about her days wasn't easy.

She didn't know what to do. Letting go of Jack was going to be impossible for her all the more now. But she knew she had to, in order to move on, and not to get him into any more trouble.

Easier said than done. Sally loved him far too much. She was in too deep. Their affair only further cemented her true desires.

_Clack. Clack._

Sally perked up, her eyes wide and her ears alert. Had she really heard a noise just now?

_Clack._

It was coming from her right side, and...out the window? Sally turned her head and looked outside. Much to her surprise, Jack was there! He stood on the ground below her window, having thrown little rocks at her window. Opening it, she stared out beyond the bars.

"Jack! Jack...what are you doing here?" Sally whispered loudly into the night.

"I had to see you!" Jack whispered loudly back to her. He then hopped into the nearby tree, and hung on the branch near her window. "I'll get you out of here, Sally. Come with me."

"...Jack...I...I...I can't! I want to, but I..."

"Sally...I've heard about you being relocated." Jack said, and now reached his bony hand through the bars to gently grasped hers. "I'm so sorry to have put you through that. I wanted to see you again, before you were gone."

Tears pooled in her eyes, and despite everything, felt so deeply moved. Sally clutched his hand, gently nuzzling it against her tear-stained cheek. "I'm so sorry, Jack... To put you in such a position."

"Don't you dare be sorry, Sally." Jack said sternly, but lovingly. "Our time together, despite what came to happen, is something I don't regret, and will never regret. I do what I do because I love you. Here." He then reached into his suit and shirt, followed by a snapping sound, and then offered something to her. It was one of his rib bones. "You can use this to pick the lock for the window."

"Jack...I...are you sure...?" Sally gently grasped the bone, as if afraid it would crack and turn to dust if she wasn't careful.

Jack smiled, nodding. "If _you're_ sure, Sally."

It was riskier than ever. Their affair had been exposed and if any kind of suspicious inclination arose, their parents/creators would know right away what had happened.

But then again, Sally knew that after she would leave in two days, she would more than likely never see him again. He had come all this way just to see her one last time, and she felt more than touched by it. This almost reminded her of when she had gone to him the night their affair had begun. All about letting everything out and just being in love. The smile on his face when he saw she was there... That was how she felt now.

To heck with everything. She was doing this. For just one more night of being in love.

Sally nodded, and then proceeded to pick the padlock with the rib bone, carefully. She was an expert in picking locks, so it was no trouble for her, she just had to manoeuvre everything right. After a few twists and turns, there was a satisfying click that indicated she got the lock open. Jack grinned, taking his bone back from her and replacing it, before he let go of the wall and branch, landing gracefully on the ground. As Sally opened the window completely, Jack held is arms out to catch her.

"Jump, and I'll catch you!" Jack whispered.

"...Um...are you sure? The fall won't break your bones?" Sally asked in worry.

Jack chuckled, shaking his head. "Heavens no! I'm stronger than you think I am, Sally. And you're light as a feather to me. Don't you worry, I'll catch you. I promise."

"...Okay..." Sally took a deep breath, and then leaped down from the window to get it over with.

Jack caught her, though it set him off balance just a bit as he fell up against the fence. He shook it off and chuckled as he held her like a bride, smiling more, and then gently set her down to her feet.

"Hello, Sally..." Jack embraced her.

"Hello, Jack..." Sally reciprocated the embrace tightly. "I missed you so much, Jack..."

"I missed you as well, Sally. I'm so sorry." Jack held her tighter as well, stroking her hair gently.

"W-What...why?" Sally looked up at him a bit, tears in her eyes again.

"For getting us caught, and hurting you like this. I..." Jack frowned a little, realizing that this wasn't the place for all of this. "...We shouldn't be here. Come on, we'll go to Spiral Hill."

Sally nodded, and Jack picked her up bridal style yet again before dashing off to get as far as possible form the Finkelstein property.

* * *

><p>They went to the graveyard, and to Spiral Hill, where they had come many times. It was now their favourite place to be, and they came here often at night. Originally it was Jack's place to go to when he wanted an escape, and he had never shared it with anyone before. But with Sally, he was happy to share it with her. More than happy to. Especially since tonight was a very risky, tense, but hopefully successful night.<p>

Now that they were here, upon the hill together beneath the luminous glow of the moon, Sally wasted no time and embraced Jack yet again, holding him tightly as she buried her face into his shirt. Jack reciprocated, holding her close and stroking her copper hair, laying his skull against her scalp.

"I'll miss you, Jack... I thought...thought they were bluffing...but I think...they're serious." Sally managed after some silence had passed.

"As much as a fresh, new start would be good for you," Jack held her tighter, as if afraid she would disappear like a flying leaf if he let go. "it won't change the fact that I'll miss you, too. Knowing you're not so close by will be very hard to adjust to."

"I'll have to adjust to not seeing the mansion outside the living room window." Sally sniffled, holding him tighter too, her fingers digging gently into his spine. "I love you, Jack... I don't want to leave you..." Tears now pooled in her eyes as she raised her head to look up at him.

Feeling his bones shatter, much like a broken heart, Jack raised a hand to gently wipe away her oncoming tears. "I don't want you to leave either, Sally. I love you, too, and I..." He hesitated then, pausing. '_I probably shouldn't. It feels too soon, and then she'll be gone, it'd be almost considered pointless. No, I'll do it. I'm not running from this. Even if she says no, I will accept it._'

"What is it, Jack...?" Sally asked gently, looking up at him curiously.

A smile crossed Jack's face as he just melted. She was just so adorable. Oh, how could he hide this from her? "Sally... My darling Sally, this may seem sudden, but I want to know I mean every word of it." Lowering down toward her ear, he whispered lovingly. "Sally..._Marry me_?"

Sally's eyes went wide as a soft gasp escaped her. For a moment she was sure she heard him wrong, but no, the words sank in and it all sounded far too real to have been just her imagination. The severity of plead in his tone was enough to make her want to faint, as she could see he wanted to be with her just as badly as she wanted to be with him. If anything, for quite some time now, she wanted this. She would have been his wife in a heartbeat if she could. The logical, practical side of her mind was then bringing up the questions as to how this would work, when, why, what...everything, but she ignored it. At least for now. She wanted to cling to the love they had together, for just a little longer, before they probably never could again.

"...Yes..._Yes_...I will..." Was all she could say, tears of joy now running down her cheeks. But then came her question. "...How?"

Without hesitation, Jack pulled back and took her hands in his, looking down at her with seriousness...but was overshadowed by the immense joy he had in his smile. "We'll elope."

"What? Elope?" Sally's eyes widened at the idea of that.

"Yes. We'll elope." Jack squeezed her hands a bit, and kissed them sweetly. "Bonejangles and Emily and their circle of friends are very friendly with Elder Gutnecht, he is an old and wise historian and scholar, and he's also considered something of a holy man. He had performed marriage ceremonies before, a lot of people go to him for that purpose. We can go see him, and he'll marry us. Emily and Bonejangles can be our witnesses, and you know them by now, they wouldn't dare reveal this secret."

"But...Jack...you'll still have to marry Marina in a couple of days..." Sally said in a small voice. "Won't that tarnish your reputation at all?" Despite the weak protest, she wanted nothing more than to say yes.

"I'll handle that, Sally." Jack promised. "But if you'd rather not, we certainly don't have to. The sentiment is-"

"Yes, Jack." Sally cut him off, and embrace him. "I will...we'll elope." She couldn't believe she was saying all of this, considering that she had a feeling this would open up a whole new set of problems, but then again, a part of her saw that this might have been an answer to the problem. In a sense, they could do this legally.

For one thing, some time ago before the affair had started, Marina had gone to the Mayor and had it declared that Sally was a citizen, against her father's demands. Sally had to take a test, which she passed just fine, and became a citizen of the town. She was no longer considered just a piece of living property, like a pet. She was indeed, legally known as Sally Finkelstein. Marina had done this because she knew that her father had done the same shortly after having created her mother, whom he had made a citizen of the town as well, so it had been possible to do.

Marina, though rebelling slightly against her parents, had done this because she had wanted Sally to be recognized as a citizen, and as a member of the family. That alone was enough to help.

On another hand, what if maybe, just maybe, it was a good tactic to set things in their favour? Selfish as that sounded, it wasn't an impossibility.

Was it wrong? Maybe a little.

Was it rushing things? Quite a bit.

Was it selfish? Maybe it was.

Was it terrible? Not entirely.

Would they regret it? More than likely not.

Was it impulsive? Quite a bit.

But it was, yet again, a result of the two being tired of hiding. Tired of pretending. Tired of trying to live their lives as they were. Sure, there were plenty of things they knew they could do with their lives that would be quite fulfilling. That much was true, and even with those goals set and in motion little by little, it still wasn't enough. Was it so wrong that they wanted love, someone to share this with?

_Whatever I may achieve in life will not hold up as much as I would want it to if we're not together._

"If you're sure, Sally." Jack said sincerely.

"I am sure, Jack. I promise." Sally smiled through her freshly falling tears.

"All right..." Jack then pulled something from his pocket, and knelt before her on one knee. Yes, it was established that she accepted his proposal, but he couldn't help but want to do this properly. Even for just making her feel special. Gently he took her hand, placed a kiss on the back of it, and then looked up at her, his eye sockets brimming with so much love and adoration for her. Then he produced a little coffin-shaped ring box, which he opened to reveal a lovely ring. It was a silver ring, with a few little diamonds that surrounded a blue diamond that was in the shape of a little heart. It too, was quite small, but it was lovely.

Sally's eyes went wide, and she brought her hands to her mouth as she let out a soft gasp. "Jack..."

"Sally, I know that our secretive courtship only lasted for a few months, as well as when we realized our feelings for each other, but I know now more than ever that the love I share with you is as real as it can be. That much I know. Despite all the hardships we've faced, and will even soon come to face, our time together has been the greatest thing that happened to me. I may have a lot in my life, and maybe I will accomplish a lot in the future, but none of that means a thing to me unless you're right there by my side. All I can say is that I love you, and you're more precious to me than any kind of throne. And I could think of no one I would spend the afterlife with than you, my sweet Sally." Jack took a deep breath, and then took the plunge. "Sally, love of my afterlife, I humbly ask you...will you marry me?"

Moved to tears, Sally could just not believe he actually even threw in a sweet proposal. She would never have thought in a million years that this would happen, not to her. Not from someone she loved so much, and yet, now it happened, and she had to take it all in. On top of that, all that he had said was exactly how she felt as well. Yes, the hardships and obstacles they have faced, and will still face in the future, didn't overshadow how much they loved each other and loved being together. It even went without saying, that Jack was far more precious to her than anything in the world, and she hoped in all of this, he would know it too. If it was possible to fall more and more in love with him, she surely was by now.

Unable to keep standing, Sally collapsed to her knees before him, fresh tears flowing down her cheeks. "Yes...yes...I-I will, Jack... I will..."

Despite she'd already agreed to it moments before, it didn't stop the overly giddy feeling Jack felt within his bones, and he smiled so wide, you could swear that his skull would crack in half. He took the ring, and gently placed it onto her ring finger, then instructed her to place it on a chain around her neck later on, which she agreed to do.

The ring had also belonged to his grandmother, which until she retired to a new place, had said for him to give it to the woman he was to marry. It was also a secret between him and her, so it was no wonder he hadn't presented it before to Marina.

Helping her to stand, Jack then made a bold move by instantly picking up Sally and sweeping her off her feet. He held her bridal style, which he did quite often with her sometimes. He chuckled at her surprised little gasp, grinning.

"Even after all this time, you still get surprised when I do this, my little bat?" Jack teased lightly, and kissed her on the cheek.

"Yes... Only because you don't give me any warning." Sally giggled. Especially at the use of his little nickname for her.

"All part of the fun." Jack chuckled and held her tight. "Are you ready, Sally?"

With a warm, loving, and confident smile, Sally nodded. "Yes, Jack. I'm ready." She said with no doubt.

The warm, happy feeling coursed through Jack's bones once more as he held her closer before making a mad sprint down the hill. Given his long strides and incredible speed, even with Sally in his arms, Jack did all he could to make it into town quickly. He did have one little stop to make, after all, and he knew just where to go.

* * *

><p>At the Black Cauldron, Jack and Sally found Bonejangles and Emily there, and quietly pulled them aside to tell them what had happened without being overheard.<p>

"Heh, so ya finally did it." Bonejangles smirked playfully, crossing his arms. "I knew you had it in ya."

"Come now." Emily nudged him lightly. "Don't be like that." She looked to the couple with a sad, but sincere smile. "While it may be risky, it's wonderful you're not holding back. We'd be happy to be your witnesses. I believe Elder Gutnecht is in his study upstairs."

"Thank you, Emily." Jack smiled, and then shot his cousin an annoyed glance as he was nudged a few times by him. "Enough, Bonejangles."

Sally giggled behind her hand, shaking her head.

"Hey, I'm just sayin'..." Bonejangles shrugged as he followed after them.

They went through a door, and then upstairs to a room. Inside the room was a huge library of books, as well as some ingredients to make potions and brews. An elderly skeleton sat at the desk, looking over one of the books, while a black crow was perched nearby. Emily approached, getting the old skeleton's attention.

"Heh? Oh, hello there, Emily..." Elder Gutnecht looked at her with a squint, nodding. "What brings you here so late at night?"

"Elder, two of our friends wish to be married." Emily explained. "And we were wondering if you would marry them. Tonight."

"Tonight? Why, what's the rush?" When Emily stepped aside, revealing the couple, the Elder made a small noise. "...Jack? That you, Jack?"

"Yes, Elder, it is." Jack gave a bow out of respect. "This is Sally, the woman I wish to marry."

"Eh...weren't you supposed to marry some woman...oh yes, the Finkelstein girl..." The Elder looked at some papers he had, putting a pair of glasses on.

Jack nodded. "I know that it seems...unorthodox, but I love this woman. We want to marry."

"Heh heh, I knew you had to grow a spine sometime." Bonejangles chuckled.

"I see..." Elder Gutnecht lowered his glasses and looked at Sally. "Yes...you're Sally, the rag doll..."

"...Yes...I...it's nice to meet you, Elder Gutnecht." Sally said softly, a bit nervous.

"Will you be able to do this, Elder?" Emily then asked.

"Oh, of course I can do it..." The Elder nodded. "Though I should warn you that it will compromise the upcoming royal wedding..."

Emily bit her blue lips, and looked over at her friends. "Do you two still wish to do this?"

The couple nodded.

"I..." Sally then said, and gathered her confidence. "I love Jack...and I...I want to be with him. It's a very complicated story...but Marina knows and understands this."

"Mmm...I see..." Elder Gutnecht gave a nod, looking back at his papers. "Well all right...we'll have to get going and get this done. Emily, Bonejangles...I assume you two will be their witnesses."

"Heh, sure thing. Never thought I'd get to see Jaaackaayy get married." Bonejangles chuckled.

"Enough already." Jack muttered.

"Very well." The elderly skeleton managed to get himself off his chair, his bones chattering a bit. "Shall we? We'll go out the back door, and depart from there."

"Love, you haven't even a dress to wear!" Emily exclaimed as they were leaving.

"...Oh..." Sally looked down at her usual patchwork dress and blushed. "Well I...didn't exactly expect this."

"I do see that." Emily shook her head, and thought for a moment. "Bonejangles, you two go up ahead with the Elder, we'll be right there." She turned back to Sally. "Come with me, love. I'll fix this in a jiffy."

"Um...all right." Sally blinked, and followed after her to another room while the men headed downstairs.

Emily led her to a room, which turned out to be her room. She went to her wardrobe, rifled through it, and then produced a dress. "Here you are, you can wear this for tonight."

"...Oh..." Sally gaped in awe.

It was a gorgeous white dress with the tiniest but still noticeable tint of blue, with a long flowing skirt a few inches above the floor, short sleeves, an empire waist, and a modest but still flattering neckline.

"Take it, love. Go ahead and change, I'll give you a bag for your other dress." Emily told her, giving the dress to her.

"Emily...I...I..." Sally was at loss for words. "I...I can't accept this...it's...it's so much, I..."

"Take it." Emily insisted sweetly. "Please. I insist. You need it more than I ever had, and well, I already wear one." She indicated to her usual bridal gown. "I want you to take this for tonight, Sally. You deserve it."

Touched, Sally hugged Emily for a few moments, and then went to change behind the changing screen. Her patchwork dress was then draped over it. A few more moments passed, and then Sally stepped out from behind it, taking down her patchwork dress.

"Oh! Well oh my..." Emily smiled brightly. "You look gorgeous, love. Oh! I nearly forgot." She stepped over to her dresser, and took a veil that was adorned with black rose petals along the crown of it. She placed it onto Sally's head, completing the look. "Perfect! You look like a gorgeous bride."

Sally blinked, and looked into the full length mirror. She could not believe what she was seeing. The dress, with the veil, combined with her material skin tone, and her rusted, copper red hair just seemed to make her look as if she were a little older. Not necessarily by age, but rather, she looked more mature. Like a lady. In a sense, she had always felt like a young girl next to Jack while he was a man. Yes, it never bothered her and she never dwelled on it, let alone thought about it, aside from the fact that he'd been around for such a long time and she had not been. But thinking of it now, she actually looked and felt like a lady, next to Jack being a man. A lovely bride.

"You're speechless, love." Emily giggled. "Well as much as you do deserve to stare at how lovely you look, we should go. We cannot keep them waiting!" She then took Sally's patchwork dress, placed it into a fabric bag, and handed it to her. "Come now, love!"

Poor Sally didn't stand a chance as the corpse bride took her by the hand and dragged her out of the room.

* * *

><p>Outside, near a rear entrance to the bar for wagons, the skeleton men waited for the girls to come on out.<p>

"Soooo Jack, you're gonna take her to that _special_ place, eh?" Bonejangles chuckled, nudging his cousin lightly.

Jack would've flushed if he could, and just looked away. "_Yes_."

"Heh heh! Never knew you had it in ya, Bone Daddy. ...'Course that might be what comes to happen after tonight!" Bonejangles laughed, tipping his hat.

"Will you shut your mouth?" Jack hissed. "Enough!"

The backdoor opened, and Emily stepped out, giggling behind her hand. "Well, if you two are finished bickering, I have to present your bride to you, Jack." She turned her head to look back inside through the door. "Come on out now, love!"

A few moments passed, and Sally then stepped out into view. Jack's draw dropped so low, it was a wonder it didn't snap off his skull. In the moonlight and even the glow of the lantern on the wall, Sally was just...a vision of horrific, haunting, ghastly, _gorgeous_ beauty. She was actually in a bridal gown, something he had not expected for this event. He would not have cared either way, all that mattered was their union. But now to see her in a gorgeous wedding gown, he couldn't help but want to collapse! His knees buckled slightly, and he felt himself losing his balance. She looked so regal. Like a lovely lady awaiting to become a Queen.

While she seemed confident, her usual demure postures and facial expressions remained, which only served to make her so adorable and charming. Jack's bones just melted, and he had the urge to hold her close and shower her with sweet love, and just pour on about how beautiful she looked. But he held back for the time being. Instead, he took her hand, gently squeezed it, and kissed it.

"You look beautiful, Sally..." Jack managed, finding his voice, though it was breaking a bit with emotion.

Sally blushed and looked downward, bringing her free hand to her chest. Emily and Bonejangles looked on for a moment before the Elder cleared his throat.

"Now then, we should go." Elder Gutnecht said from the wagon.

The quartet all nodded and quickly gathered into the wagon, before soon riding off into the night, taking the back roads in order to reach their destination. All along, both Jack and Sally could feel the anticipation bubbling in the pits of their stuffing/bones. This was it, soon enough, they would truly be together.

XXX

They had all gone to a church that was further off in the outskirts of town, not far from the Hinterlands, as opposed to the one that was located right in the town square, or even the Town Hall. Coming here was definitely a better idea for the discretion of the whole thing, after all. With Emily and Bonejangles sitting in a front row pew together, witnessing the proceedings, Elder Gutnecht conducted the ceremony once the paperwork was properly done and handled.

Jack and Sally stood next to one another at the altar, listening to the Elder's practiced speech about marriage, all the while unable to stop stealing glances at each other. This went on for some time, until the old skeleton's crow pecked him lightly on the skull to move things along.

"Ahem...yes, well, proceeding. Now then, to my understanding, the couple has written their own vows." Elder Gutnecht cleared his throat before motioning to Sally as the couple turned to each other, holding hands. "You may begin."

"All right..." Sally exhaled, and while she hadn't written all of this down, it didn't even matter because she knew exactly what to say. Her voice was soft, sweet, and though laced with shy overtones, didn't stop her from speaking from her heart.

"Jack... All I can say is that you have made me happier than I have ever been in my entire existence. Since I met you...you've done nothing but be a good friend to me, and show me what it means to have a friend, to be accepted. You make me feel so very special, and I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. You've done so much for me, and I can only hope to give you something back, to make you feel just as special as you make me feel. You...are my soulmate, my true love, my best friend, my confidant...my everything, and I can think of no one I would want to share my life with than you. You...give me a certain strength I never knew I possessed, and you've helped me come out of my shell, giving me courage to be who I am... You're more than just a Prince, or an escape to me, Jack... You're everything. I love you more than all the wealth, power and freedom I could gain. None of that would matter if I didn't have have you. I promise...with all my heart, to be the best wife I can be to you, from here on in. I love you, and I will be by your side until the end."

A sniffle sounded from Bonejangles while Emily awwwwed as Sally finished her vows.

Needless to say, Jack was so touched, he could feel a couple of tears form and fall down his skull. How it was possible, he didn't even know, or care. He had never felt so touched, so moved, in his entire afterlife. To think that this wonderful creature, with such beauty inside and out, could feel this way, and express it with all she had, was enough to make him want to melt. Completely. He loved this woman. He loved her more than ever now. Making her so happy was a true joy he would never tire of, and hoped that he would be able to continue doing so for all time. He uttered a soft thank you and I-love-you to her, before he was then told to recite his own vows in return. While his voice shook with pure joy, Jack found his composure and recited a vow right from his heart, as well.

"Dearest Sally, you can't imagine how happy it makes me to hear you say all of this. You've given me more than I can say, and I will be forever grateful to you for it. Until I met you, I never would have imagined I would fall in love, let alone with such a wonderful woman like you. Since we met, you have done nothing but treat me like a normal person, as if I were merely just simple old Jack Skellington and not just the Pumpkin Prince, and you've done nothing but be a dear friend to me, which is something I normally didn't quite have. Your sweetness, wonderful personality, everything about you, is just sunshine in my world, and I can honestly say that I cannot imagine my afterlife without having met you. If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. You give me a great strength, and I know now more than ever, that I would be lost without you. You are my world, Sally, and I too promise, to love you forever, and stay by your side. My best friend, my soulmate, my true love, my _everything_. I love you, Sally, and from this day forward, nothing will stop me from making you the happiest lady you can be. I promise you this."

Sally too, was just so touched, that tears of joy were streaming down her face. Jack felt his bones melt all over again as he reached over to gently wipe away her tears. He wanted to embrace her, but knew that he couldn't since they had not been pronounced yet. In time...in time...

It took a few moments for Sally to gather herself, as she just let his sweet vows sink in. She knew now, more than ever, how much she meant to him. At this moment, there was no more uncertainty, no more hiding, truly nothing. They were more committed to each other than ever before. In the short time since their love affair began, it all came into fruition more and more. The love they had was true, and nothing short of a miracle. She too, was so grateful for having met him, and that he had given her a chance, not only as a friend, but as a lover. This was, undoubtedly, the happiest moment in her entire existence. So far, anyway.

The sneaking around, the lies, the betrayal, were not at all present right now. Tonight, was all about the love they had, and nothing would stop them any more.

Jack and Sally, still holding each other's hands, continued to lovingly eye each other before Elder Gutnecht cleared his throat to continue.

"Now then, let us proceed." He said, turning to his book once more. "Now Sally, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, from here on in?"

Sally smiled, and said with absolutely no shyness nor uncertainty, "I do."

"Do you Jack, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, from here on in?"

Jack too, smiled and said with no doubt or nervousness, "I do."

"Then, with the power invested in me, I hereby pronounce you two husband and wife, Mr. And Mrs. Skellington, Prince and Princess." He closed his book, and with a smile, added the last bit he knew they were waiting for. "Jack...you may kiss the bride."

Positively beaming, Jack mouthed "I love you" to his new bride, and immediately brought her into a loving embrace before kissing her for all that she was worth. Sally melted against him before throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him back, fresh tears streaming down her face as she did so. Emily and Bonejangles clapped their hands, while Bonejangles whistled, throwing his hat into the air and then catching it again.

After probably a minute or two, neither knew how long, the newly-wedded Jack and Sally parted from each other, still trying to take in the fact that they were now husband and wife. And they couldn't be happier. To complete the ceremonial proceedings, the two held hands and eagerly walked down the aisle together, with Emily and Bonejangles following them, tossing dead leaves and dead flower petals at them.

Once they were all outside, the newlyweds thanked the two and the elder for their help tonight, for this may not have been possible without their help.

"Hey, I was just glad to see ya grow a spine and make your own choice for once!" Bonejangles grinned, patting his cousin on the spine gleefully.

"Bonejangles..." Jack muttered, but was unable to stop smiling. "Well, I guess it had to happen sometime!"

"I'm just glad to see you so happy, love." Emily gushed, and hugged Sally. "And as well as that, I'm very proud of you."

"What for?" Sally blinked, and hugged the corpse bride back.

Emily smiled and pulled back from her. "For standing up to what you wanted, and letting no one stop you. Love does find a way, and you certainly proved that."

Blushing, Sally thanked her friend once more and hugged her again before returning to Jack's side. Jack grinned, and brought his arm around Sally then, facing the three of them.

"Once again, I want to thank all of you. Tonight has been a wondrous joy, and I am so very glad you could be here to help us, and share it with us. I'm taking Sally to that _special_ place now, and please, again, don't tell anyone about any of this."

Sally blinked. Special place? What did he mean?

"No problem Jack, we got your back." Bonejangles tipped his hat again.

"We promise you both, your majesties." Emily curtsied. "Good luck."

"My pleasure as well, Jack and Sally." Elder Gutnecht nodded to them.

With a wave, Jack then scooped Sally up into his arms, bridal style (appropriately), and then dashed down the church steps, about three at a time.

"Jack, where are you taking me?" Sally asked him, clasping her hands around his neck.

Jack just smiled at his new wife, unable to contain himself. "You'll see, my little bat. Or should I say...Sally Skellington..." He beamed at this.

Sally did as well, taking in that she was now indeed Sally Skellington, which had such a nice ring to it. She still wondered, and even felt slightly nervous about it, but she trusted him. Immensely. "All right, Jack. ...I trust you."

"Thank you, Sally." Jack said softly, touched. "Don't worry, I hope you will like it, Sally."

With that, he dashed off into the Hinterlands, carrying his newly wedded wife the entire time with extra care.

* * *

><p>After some time, within the deeper depths of the Hinterlands, was when Jack finally reached the intended destination. In the middle of it all was a small, but quaint gothic home. It looked pretty old, almost as if it were just left sitting there for a number of years, though clean enough. Though it had a dark, gothic style, it was something like a getaway cottage, if anything, for lack of a better reference.<p>

Sally blinked in utter confusion, surprise, and fascination as she took it all in. What was this? Were they visiting someone?

"Jack...what is this?" Sally finally asked.

Jack smiled, cradling Sally closer as he stepped toward the front door. "This, Sally, is a place I recently had worked to restore. I found it some time ago. It was abandoned and dusty, not very homey. But with some sprucing up, it's now a lovely little cottage." Carefully, he managed to open the door, pushing it open the rest of the way with his foot. He grinned at her. "You know...I've dreamed of carrying you across the threshold for some time."

Blushing, Sally looped her arms around his neck a little tighter. "Is that some kind of tradition?"

"You can say that. In some cultures, its considered a way of protecting the wife." Jack smiled at the thought. "Shall we?"

Sally nodded, smiling all the more. Jack grinned as well, and then stepped into the house, closing the door behind them. He went into the sitting room area, and gently placed Sally down onto the couch.

"Would you like some tea, Sally?" Jack asked sincerely, bringing his hands behind his back a bit, smiling.

"Yes, thank you." Sally smiled, sitting up on the couch. As he walked away, she couldn't help but voice her concern of the situation. "...Jack?"

"Yes?" Jack was now in the kitchen area, making tea as he looked over at her.

"...I...I was wondering...are we staying here tonight?"

Jack didn't respond for a couple of minutes as he finished making the tea, and came back over to her, handing one cup and saucer to her. He then sat next to her on the couch, considering her question.

"Would you like to, Sally?" Jack finally said, looking at her completely.

Sipping her tea and savouring the flavour, Sally blushed a bit. "...I do, Jack... I want to be with you. I suppose I couldn't help but worry."

"I'll take you back first thing in the morning, before any of our families realize we're gone." Jack promised her. "My mother even said for me to sleep in tomorrow, and to come out when I was ready, so that will buy us some time."

"...Sometimes the Doctor and his wife don't even check on me." Sally admitted. "Marina might, but I don't think she'll say anything if she checks on me and sees if I'm there. Even so, they likely don't suspect a thing."

"All right, then." Jack smiled a bit then. "I suppose we'll be able to make it back in time."

Sally nodded, and drank some more tea. "...Jack... If we are caught...I'm not going to run or hide from it. ...I'll even tell them." She finished her cup, and placed it aside. "We're...married now, Jack...and I don't want our families tearing us apart. I won't let them."

Eye sockets widening, Jack was very much in awe at Sally's sudden display of courage and even defiance against their parents. She seemed determined, which was something she normally wouldn't display so bluntly. She was always more subtle, more soft-spoken when it came to her emotions, and she tended to show them in other ways, especially in her actions. Gone was the soft-spoken, shy, sweet and bashful rag doll. In her place, was a young woman who was determined, and would not let anything stand in her way.

"It may seem selfish..." Sally softened then, the traces of her usual demeanour showing through yet again. "But I don't care anymore. The Doctor has no power over me now. I will not stand for this anymore...I want to be with you, Jack...marrying you there, has made me realize forevermore that I never want to let you go. If you'll have me, Jack...I'll fight for our marriage with all that I have. I won't stand idly by and let my creators drag me away, doing nothing. ...That's all I have ever done. Nothing. I just let them push me around. ...But I won't do that anymore."

It was all so true. Sally wanted to prove to Jack just how serious she was about their marriage, and keeping it. This wasn't just some "next big step" in their courtship, it wasn't a revenge or rebellion against their families, and it wasn't out of spite either. It was all because they loved each other, and wanted to be together. And she wanted to prove that. She was tired of being pushed around, having to live by someone else's standards, and having to answer to everyone and everything else.

Not today. She was not letting that happen again.

"...I almost lost you forever, Jack..." Sally now brought herself closer to him, looking into his still-wide eye sockets with her own. She looked sad, a little scared then, as she was recalling this bit of their lives together. "And I'm...I'm...t-terrified of that happening again, even for good. I don't want to lose you, Jack..." Tears pooled in her eyes. "I want to fight for us... I don't want to give up that easily."

Almost immediately after she had finished talking, she was suddenly pulled into a very strong, but loving embrace. She could feel Jack's hand gently course through her hair within the veil, as he held her close. Sally was taken aback as a short gasp escaped her, but she soon relaxed and embraced him in return, nuzzling her face into his neck. He then spoke to her, breaking her out of her little trance of surprise.

"Then we'll fight for us, Sally. I won't go down without a fight, either. I...had almost lost you, too. That had to have been more painful than I can imagine..." Jack held her closer, if that were possible. His wife...his wonderful, loving wife...he loved her so, and he wasn't going to let her go again. Ever. "I won't lose you again, Sally, I promise. We'll get through this together, me and you. You are my _wife_ now, and nothing, I mean nothing, will keep us apart. I'll abdicate my position if I have to."

Blinking, Sally looked up at him in surprise. "Jack... You'd give up your future Kingship?"

"Yes." Jack said with no hesitation. "If I had to sacrifice my Kingship...then so be it. Nothing I accomplish or gain as King will mean a thing to me unless you're right there with me, Sally. I'm serious about this as well, and I will sacrifice my position if it means staying with you. All my life, I have had to choose legacy above all else. But not this time. ...I choose my heart, and that's you." He gently brushed some hair from her face, and smiled. "I love you, Sally. Nothing makes me happier than being by your side."

Tears pooled in Sally's eyes, and she embraced him tighter, kissing him lovingly and with a tint of passion. He truly was just as serious as she was about keeping their marriage together, and letting nothing nor anyone tear them apart. Jack immediately kissed her back, bringing her closer. It wasn't long before they were lost in each other, what with feeling much more committed to each other than they ever had been, the determination to keep each other together...everything.

After some time, Jack then scooped her up in his arms and off the couch, cradling her gently. When Sally looked up at him with wonder and surprise, he smiled.

"Sally...I'm taking you upstairs...okay?"

Eyes widening, Sally nodded. "Yes, Jack...let's go upstairs."

It hit her then.

It was their wedding night.

Jack then quickly dashed upstairs, though going slow enough as not to overwhelm her, and came to one of the bedrooms. He opened the door with his foot, and they came into the master bedroom. It was quaint, and quite cozy. A few windows, some letting in a stream of moonlight, a desk, a dresser, a closet, and of course, the bed. The bed was around Queen-sized, and looked modest, though very attractive and comfy. Reaching the bed, Jack gently lay his beloved rag doll onto the mattress, making sure she was comfortable.

When Sally looked up at him, the way she was laying there in a ray of moonlight, all beautiful in her gown, looking quite cozy and happy...Jack melted. This was no dream this time. It was real. They were truly married, and were together on their wedding night. That is, if she felt ready for this.

"Jack...join me?" Sally said softly, looking at him with pleading eyes.

Gulping lightly, but never one to deny his beloved, Jack nodded and then joined her on the bed on the other side. Sally immediately cuddled up to him, sighing softly with happiness, which made Jack smile. He felt so nervous, but could not deny how joyous he felt at the same time.

"Sally...do you want this? We certainly don't have to if you're not ready." Jack stroked her hair, and looked into her eyes. "I will not do anything you don't want, I promise."

Touched, Sally leaned in and kissed him gently, then rolled onto her back, bringing him up with her so he'd be over her, still keeping their mouths locked. When they parted, she did a very surprising thing. She took his hand, kissed his bony fingertips sweetly, and then lay it onto her chest, right on one of her small breasts. This made Jack's eye sockets widen as he all but froze in surprise.

"...Make love to me, Jack."

And that was all Jack needed to hear.


	16. To Make Things Right

**Okay, I lied. XD This is where a bit of the lime comes in. ;) So hey, isn't this fantastic? Jack and Sally are married now, and they are NOT going to go down without a fight! :D**

**You know, I had another direction this story was going to take. Crazy as it sounds! But looking at it, I realized it made no sense and was stupid! So, I did the right thing and changed it around.**

**Moreover, I wanted to have them prove how serious they are about their newfound united commitment! Nothing shall tear them apart now! No sir!**

XXX

The pumpkin sun rose, its rays slipping into the room as it did so, rousing the sleeping, cuddling newlyweds. Jack awoke first, and could feel a certain weight and whole new, lovely feeling up against him. He looked down, seeing the familiar sight of Sally's gorgeous rusty red hair in his field of vision...and his bones seemed to melt and soar with such happiness!

She was still asleep, though stirring lightly, and she was smiling, probably having had a good dream. At least, he hoped so.

A soft sigh escaped Jack as he glanced out the window for a few moments. This was a new day, and their first day as husband and wife. Who would've thought? It had once seemed like such an unattainable dream. And yet, it was reality all the more, and waking up together in the little hidden retreat home he had restored, only served to add to it. When Jack looked back at his lovely wife, he nearly jumped when he saw her big, expressive eyes looking back at him.

Chuckling, Jack stroked her hair a bit as he smiled lovingly. "Good morning, Sally."

Beaming at him, Sally reached up and caressed his skull, loving the way his eyelids drooped in pleasure as she did so. "Good morning, Jack... Last night...wasn't a dream, was it?"

Bashful, Jack shook his skull a bit. "Not unless we somehow dreamed the same thing."

Indeed, last night was...something Sally couldn't come close to describing. They'd made love...quite a couple of times no less, before they collapsed and were spent, but blissfully happy as they basked in the afterglow. The things he could do to her, how he had ignited such a _fiery passion_ within her that she never even knew existed! She had been so new to it first-hand, and despite Jack had a certain knowledge for it, had sheepishly but truthfully admitted that he had never made love to a woman before, and wasn't sure how to do it in its entirety. The entire time was pure instinct, and yet, it just worked. There were moments that were quite awkward and clumsy, on both their parts, but it made them laugh and just enjoy themselves more. They knew that it had been a learning process, and that their mistakes, sure, deterred a little and ruined the mood for a bit, did nothing but make it more fun.

But oh, Sally could remember just how _amazing_ she felt the entire time. The passion, the hunger, the wanton, the _love_ just all seemed to come together within the process. She was surprised she didn't split a seam or two! Coming together as one, was nothing short of the most beautiful moment she could have ever asked for between them. The closest they had ever gotten, and ever could be. It had been as if they were one entire being, joined together.

This had to be making love, in the very true sense of the term. They had made love.

Then of course, was the strange, powerful, feeling of such _build-up_ that occurred several times throughout the process. How it built up within her, growing stronger and stronger, how it grew so strong and intense that it actually made her scream his name so loud, she could swear it was heard beyond the Hinterlands. She never would've thought that making love would entail such feelings like that!

Sally giggled before she cuddled up closer to him, smiling all the more. "Jack..."_ He was so gentle with me...so loving..._

"Sally..." Jack murmured, and held her closer as he gently stroked her hair.

Jack too, was having similar thoughts as he reminisced about the wonders of the night before. Making love was one thing (he supposed), but having been able to make love to Sally was something incomprehensible. If anything ever happened, and he had to be forced to spend a night in bed with another woman, it would _never_ amount to the absolute _ecstasy_ that came when he made love to his darling Sally.

The sounds she made, which were intoxicating, her touches, her soft words, the way she _moved_ and responded here and there, were enough to drive him wild. At times he felt so feral, so beastly, and it all came out during their intense moments, but never at moments in hurting her or making her feel overwhelmed. The entire time, despite that, he was nothing but gentle and loving with her, taking their time and exploring everywhere he could, hoping to make her feel loved and cherished all over. If her body didn't catch his attention before (though not compared to her wonderful personality), it sure did last night. Seeing it in its entirety, felt as if he were laying his eyes on a long lost treasure island, just waiting to be discovered and explored. He felt as if he were the luckiest traveler in the world to explore her beautiful body. The seams and stitches were even along areas he normally didn't see, and it was such an interesting feat to explore them and test their sensitivity, much like her other seams had presented.

Becoming one with her was a joyous part of the process, something he would never have imagined to ever feel when it came to this. But it proved all the more that he and Sally truly did make love, not just with the actions, but the _feelings_ within them. Their love, chemistry, passion, desire, hunger, wanton, everything was in place. Even during their clumsier moments!

If it was possible to fall even more in love with her, Jack was fairly certain that he did.

"Can I tell you a secret, Sally?" Jack said softly, breaking from his reminisces of their passionate night.

"Of course." Sally smiled, nodding.

"This place...no one knows about it, not even my parents. I had it restored, since it was abandoned and dusty before. I created it to be a retreat. And...Sally, you're the only person I have ever told about it, and obviously the only person I've ever brought over to it." Jack caressed her face sweetly.

Sally's eyes widened. "It is? ...Secret? No one knows about it?"

"Not at all! It's our secret place now, Sally." Jack chuckled. "...Is that all right? Because if having a secret place like this makes you uncomfortable, we can certainly-"

"Jack..." She cut him off with a kiss, lingering for a few moments. "Of course it's all right. ...I just never expected something like this, and it's...quite a bit to take in, but...I'm happy, Jack...it's very nice to have our own secret place to retreat to. I promise that I won't tell anyone."

Unable to keep from smiling widely, Jack nodded and kissed her forehead. "All right then, Sally. As long as you're all right with this."

Her giggle confirmed it, and she gently traced her hand along his rib bones, making him shudder a bit. Yes, they were fully dressed by now (sleeping in their clothes!), but it was no less a pleasuring feel.

"Jack?"

"Mm-hmm?"

"I wondered...what will we do now?"

Jack looked at her curiously. "What do you mean, Sally?"

"I mean..." Sally looked a touch nervous, biting her lip. "We're married now, and we're here...what will we do about returning? Go back to our homes?"

Jack frowned at this, realizing she was right. He hadn't thought it through the night before (his mind was not only occupied, but then shut down), and could see that it was a bit of a conundrum. As determined as they were about staying together, it did still leave the question. Go back home and pretend things were normal? Or simply step right up and make their statements? What to do? Plus, the big day was tomorrow. There was that to think about as well.

"I'm not so sure yet, Sally." Jack admitted, sighing a little. "I wish I'd thought about it more."

"It's all right, Jack... I should have, as well." Sally admitted as well, and looked up at him. "I do have to bring Emily's dress back, of course...perhaps we could start there? Go to the Black Cauldron together?"

Thinking that over, he nodded and smiled. "Of course. We'll go there first and foremost, and I suppose we'll see what we can do from there on."

A soft smile came to Sally's lips as she nodded. "All right, Jack. We can do that." She blushed, and then gently rolled on top of him, settling her body over his reed-thin skeletal frame, making herself comfortable.

"What are you doing, my little bat?" Jack chuckled, stroking her hair again as he grinned at her. He knew far well, but couldn't help but ask her anyway. She was so cute.

Sally blushed more, but remained where she was. "We...still have some time before it gets to be too late, Jack... I mean...if you wanted..."

That was when Jack's expression formed into a devilish, mischievous, dangerous, and even somewhat predatory smirk, almost as if he were trying to scare her. "I've wanted you for a long time, my Princess." He said in a low, devilish but still charming and suave tone before he pulled her closer and kissed her deeply before rolling them over to pin her beneath him.

Morning lovemaking was definitely something they were going to just love, for sure.

XXX

After two rounds of pure ecstasy, that was when the two decided to get ready to go. So Sally gathered the wedding dress that Emily had so kindly loaned to her, and make sure she had everything she needed, while Jack made sure all was cleaned up. Once they were set, Jack yet again picked up Sally like a bride, and dashed off through the Hinterlands to get back to town.

Which brings us to right now.

Jack and Sally were now at the Black Cauldron, which wasn't hugely crowded, since it was only the middle of the morning. Emily and Bonejangles were there, of course, so they went over to them so Sally could return the dress to her, just as they had planned.

"Well thank you very much, love." Emily smiled as she took the dress back. "But I'm just happy you were able to get use out of it!"

"But really though, thank you again." Sally smiled warmly at her. "I appreciate it, very much."

"Not a problem." Emily winked.

The two girls went upstairs, and were quite shocked to find a very surprising, and yet not so surprising sight. Ahead in the hallway near one of the rooms, both Spencer and Marina were wrapped up in a very passionate make out session. Of course, upon hearing them coming, the two broke apart sheepishly.

"Sally!" Marina exclaimed upon seeing her sister, and rushed over to her. "What are you doing here? How did you get out? Oh...Daddy didn't send you, did he? I was only gone for twenty minutes! I said I'd be back in an hour!"

"No, no!" Sally shook her head. "Nothing like that."

"Oh, good." Marina sighed in relief. "But that still begs the question how you got out. Are you okay? Is something wrong?"

"Pardon me," Emily interrupted them. "Lest we want to be overheard, I suggest we head into my room to talk."

"I'll get back to the bar." Said Spencer, looking sheepish.

"Okay, darling..." Marina cooed, and kissed him lightly before he left.

The three girls went into Emily's room, closing the door behind them, and sitting down in a few chairs. Never one to lie to her sister, Sally told her everything about what had happened the night before (leaving out the intimate details, of course) and where she had been, which surprised Marina, since she hadn't even realized she was gone. But as it sank in, Marina was shocked, but was then incredibly happy and couldn't help but do a little dance, grabbing both Sally and Emily into her silly little happy craze.

"Oh WOW, Sally! I can't believe you two got married!" Marina squealed happily, giggling. "I'm so happy for you! You did it! You guys overcame the obstacles and just screwed the rules, to answer to true love! Awwwww! Okay, tell me everything! You guys spent the night together! Did you?" She smirked a little.

Sally blushed heavily, looking down at her lap.

"AHA! I knew it!" Marina declared, and laughed. "Oh wow! Sally, really, this is wonderful! I'm so happy for you two! YES! Oh yeah, score one for YOU! ...Oh, but what are we going to do about tomorrow? The wedding is tomorrow afternoon, and the rehearsal stuff is tonight."

Biting her lip, Sally looked a bit sheepish. "We didn't think that far..."

"Well, hmm..." Marina thought for a moment, turning to Emily.

"Don't look at me. I only provided the dress and was a witness." Emily held her hands up in defence.

"I thought so." Marina indicated to the dress, and then snapped her fingers. "Wait a minute! I got it. I think that I have a plan. Sally, I can see you want to fight for this, don't you?"

"I do." Sally said without hesitation. "I'm not going to run, or let anyone tear us apart."

"Good." Marina smiled. "Because what we're going to do is that we _will_ proceed with the big day just as planned. For the most part, if anything. Halfway through, at a good moment, I am going to stand up and make a statement. But, I will need you guys to help me. Emily, you and Bonejangles need to get copies of the legal documents about Jack and Sally's marriage. I'll get the citizenship papers from the Mayor, and I'll have Spencer present those. Sally, you're still my Maid of Honour, so you'll be there to back everything up as well."

Sally's eyes widened. "You're going to...stop the whole thing?"

"Yes." Marina nodded, looking very serious. "Both our families will have _no choice_ but to listen to us, this time. Especially since we'll also have the entire town and our relatives there to witness it! Not just that, but I was looking through the Royal Protocol book, and read into the section about royal weddings. It said that if the family of the non-royal bride/groom signs off a release form before or after they get married, then they can be and stay married!"

"Ah," Emily said, catching on. "So your plan is to..."

"Exactly! Get Mother and Daddy to sign the papers so that it can truly finalize Jack and Sally's marriage! Gets ME off the hook, and Jack and Sally can be together as the true Prince and Princess and future King and Queen!" Marina finalized, slapping her palm against her knee. "Emily, I'll need you to tell Jack and Bonejangles, and Spencer too. I have to take Sally home, and make it seem like I either brought her out myself or she was at home all along, whichever may come to pass."

Sally was speechless. She could hear Emily giving a confirmation before leaving the room, and was then taken out of the room as well to head home. This was too good to be true. If all went according to Marina's plan...then maybe things could turn out all right after all.


	17. Wedding of Sorts

**Okay people, this is it! The final chapter! ...Well, kind of. There's this chapter and then an epilogue. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it! :) It wasn't much, maybe not a huge achievement for me in fanfic writing, but it was fun. **

**Like I said, I had different ideas at first that never made it into this. XD Isn't that crazy? Well, I'm happy with how it all turned out. :)**

**Beware...THERE IS A HAPPY ENDING! If you don't like happy endings, bite me.**

**The epilogue will be next! OwO**

**So let's begin!**

* * *

><p>The plan was set into motion. Today was the big day, and everything was going according to <em>both<em> plans. The original plans, and of course, Marina's big plan. All was going well so far, especially since nobody suspected a thing.

Sally had gone home with Marina the previous day, to again keep up appearances and also to be there the next day for the fitting and last-minute alterations that may have needed to be done. The night before had been the rehearsals, which went along accordingly. Despite that both Jack and Marina looked _very_ awkward in the proceedings. Even after all this time, it was clearly evident that there was absolutely no love or chemistry between them. But again, those who noticed were either in denial and wanted the "golden perfect couple" together, or would simply keep quiet about it. Thankfully, no one noticed the secret glances that Jack and Sally shared.

During the rehearsal dinner, there was also a little bit of dancing to take place, to liven things up. Being the soon-to-be newlyweds, at least to everyone but them, both Jack and Marina had to dance with each other. Yet again, to keep up appearances and appease the folks and crowd. To further it, they actually kept conversation as they danced. Of course, they talked about the plan, ironically. Sally too, kept up appearances by dressing so modestly for the event, and avoided going near her secret husband, despite that it stung her to do so.

But Jack had a plan. He eventually excused himself and went outside for some air. After about five minutes, long enough for anyone's attention on the matter to wane completely, Marina approached Sally and told her to go outside. Puzzled, though she did want some air, Sally agreed to it.

When Sally came outside, she found Jack there. She couldn't believe it. Even tonight, Marina was giving them an opportunity to be alone, even if they had been all last night and some of this morning.

"Sally!" Jack immediately approached her, and took her hands. "I'm so glad you came out here."

"You planned this, didn't you?" Sally smiled, squeezing his hands.

Chuckling, he nodded. "I sure did. I figured that the best way for us to share at least one dance, is if we do so away from everyone's prying eyes. And well, is it so wrong that I want to dance with my own wife?"

Giggling, Sally smiled all the more. "Not at all, Jack."

Standing back, Jack bowed a little as he offered his hand to her. "May I have this dance, Princess Sally Skellington?"

Sally beamed, taking his hand as she giggled with the way he addressed her by her new married name, and apparently her new title. "Of course...Prince Jack Skellington."

Much like at the royal ball months ago, the two danced together under the glow of the moon, with no sound or music at all. It was very reminiscent of that night. Only this time, there was no uncertainty, no hiding, no holding back. There was love between them now, and no more hiding. Not once did they tear their smiling, loving gazes away from each other, as they danced the night away.

Eventually, Jack pulled back from her, taking a moment to gather himself, while she did the same. He faced her yet again, and then, much to her surprise, sang gently to her. Very reminiscent of their little song on Spiral Hill.

"_You give me strength  
>You show you care...<em>"

Sally was touched, and felt tears pool in her eyes as he sang so beautifully to her. She held her hands to her heart, as he continued to sing to her.

"_I cannot fail with you so near  
>I know I'd be lost without you...<em>" Jack went on, approaching her slowly, but surely.

Sally sighed softly, in a dreamy way, before she joined in singing along with him.

"_We'll stand together  
>Now and forever<br>And I'll tell you, from this very night  
>That we will set things right<em>..."

The two came together, holding hands, as they gazed at each other with loving sweetness.

"It's okay, Sally. Nothing is going to stop me from making sure we're never torn apart ever again." Jack promised, squeezing her hands lightly.

"Nothing will stop me, either." Sally said softly, squeezing his hands as well. "Marina's plan will work, and we'll help her along as well."

"We will." Jack gave a nod, and then lay his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. "Sally...I love you, my Princess."

"I love you too, Jack...my Prince." Sally closed her eyes as well, melting into him.

Tomorrow was the big day, and while they were fairly nervous, they were not going to back down or give up. They would fight for their love, even if it meant making some great sacrifices. But they were ready for this. Neither of them were uncertain or scared anymore. Whatever would come to be, they would stay together. The strength in their bond, and each other, were exactly what they needed to face this through.

* * *

><p>"Oh my gosh...this is it. This is it!" Marina paced the bridal room, shaking hard. "You know, I never would've thought that my own wedding would entail trying to stop it!" She laughed at this.<p>

"It certainly is something to remember." Emily agreed with a giggle. She looked at Sally. "Wouldn't you agree, love?"

Sally cracked a little smile. "I think so."

Marina looked in the mirror again, sighing happily. "Oh, but Sally...this dress you made for me is _gorgeous_. I love it! I really love it! I'm going to save it and then wear it on my _real_ wedding day!"

"Gorgeous doesn't _begin_ to describe it." Emily said. "Pish posh, this dress is simply divine, beyond any words at all."

Indeed, the dress was beautiful. It was pure white, had a flowing, pleated skirt with satin black roses strung along it with a light green sash that matched her hair, a large white bow tied in the back, a fairly long train, and the bust was corset-style (though without the difficulty to breathe). The sleeves were short and rounded, along with that she wore white elbow-length gloves, and the veil was fairly short, reaching her waist, and was aligned with green satin. The bouquet consisted of black roses, white carnations, and orange wisterias. A weird combo, but it worked! Her pale green hair was pulled back into an intricate bun, held with a bat-shaped bow.

The bridesmaid dress which Emily wore, was a beautiful dark blue strapless silk gown, with a white bow sash around her waist, with the skirt flaring above her ankles like flower petals. Sally's dress was gray, with white accents, a thick black belt around the waist, short sleeves, and lengthened to her ankles. Both Emily and Sally wore flowery wreaths in their hair as well. Both dresses were made by Sally, unsurprisingly.

"Well...I...I am glad it turned out well..." Sally murmured bashfully.

"I'm serious, sis, it's wonderful." Marina said truthfully. "Now, enough about that! Are we all set? Emily, do you have the papers?"

"I gave them to Bonejangles, he has them." Emily nodded. "I even talked him into wearing a suit for the occasion."

"Good! Sally, are you wearing your ring?"

Sally smiled and held out her left hand, the ring Jack had given her was on her appropriate finger.

"Perfect." Marina grinned. "Today's the day, ladies. We are going to set things right and come clean. No more hiding, no more pretending, nothing. Today is the day that we live by nothing but the truth. We can do this."

"And we're here to help." Emily promised with a nod of her head. She looked over to Sally, placing her hand on her shoulder. "Are you ready too, love?"

Exhaling a bit, Sally smiled and nodded. "I am. I'm ready for this, too."

* * *

><p>"Feelin' nervous, eh, <em>bone daddy<em>?" Bonejangles teased as he crossed his arms. Just as Emily had said, he was also wearing a pretty fancy suit, which was rare since he always went around wearing no clothes at all. He also had the documents hidden in his suit, ready to pull them out at the right time. And as well as that, of course he was still wearing his omnipresent hat!

"Of course I am." Jack fixed his tux jacket again. Sally had made the suit for him, much to his surprise! It was pure black, but had orange accents along some areas, which were noticeable, but subdued. His bat bowtie was replaced with a pumpkin shaped one, with flared wing-like edges.

"But not for the wedding itself." Bonejangles chuckled. "Heh, don't think I've ever seen a wedding like _this_ before!"

"That's just it. I hope the plan goes well." Jack rubbed his skull nervously, biting his bony lip. "But, I will do whatever it takes. You...do have the papers, right?"

"I told ya three times! I got 'em. Emily gave them to me this morning." Bonejangles rolled his eye. "Relax, will ya?"

"Sorry. I'm just nervous." Jack paced the room again, trying to calm himself, but it was next to impossible. He didn't even feel this nervous during the night he and Sally eloped!

"All else fails, you and the pretty rag doll can just run for yer lives." Bonejangles joked, smirking a bit.

"Very funny." Jack would have rolled his eyes if he had any. "...How do I look?"

"Like a handsome nervous wreck. Now can we get outta here? This room's real stuffy and we gotta take our places."

Jack shook his skull, and looked in the mirror once more. "Let's go. I'm ready for this."

* * *

><p>The ceremony went just as planned so far. Jack stood in place, trying not to move so much. He could feel the proud stares of his parents as they sat upon tall-back chairs off to the side, observing the scene. But he only waved to them once. Soon it wasn't long before the organ played out a Halloween mix of the wedding march, and all of the guests rose to their feet as the bride entered, on the arm of her father, as he wheeled his way down the aisle.<p>

Admittedly, Marina did look beautiful in the dress and veil, and he knew that anyone who would marry her now was a lucky man. Spencer, specifically. In fact, he had appointed Spencer as a groomsman. He could see that Marina glanced over at him with a friendly smile, and a wink, before her eyes were drawn right to Spencer. Of course, no one noticed.

Jack was in the same boat. The minute he saw Sally, he was instantly captivated at the sight of his beautiful secret wife. No one at all noticed that the bride and groom were not looking at each other, given the well-placed places of their respective lovers. Sally only looked back at him with a sweet, loving smile, and kept her head high. He had never seen her act more graceful and ladylike. Such a Princess...

When Marina reached the altar, she finally looked at Jack, who smiled and took her hand. The Mayor then began his little speech from the book, going on and on about the sanctity of a _horrible_ marriage. Both Jack and Marina winked at each other, waiting for just the right moment to launch her plan into action. When it came time to recite their vows, which was just the beginning, there was the mild surprise amongst everyone that they had not written their own. The perfect couple in love image was slowly shattering...

Marina was appointed to go first, and she smiled deviously. This was it.

"Before I begin, I have something to say." Marina said, and turned away to face the entire crowd of all their friends and family, and the townsfolk. "I can't marry this man."

A collective gasp sounded throughout the crowd, as well as whispers and murmurs.

"WHAT?" The Mayor gasped, his head rotating to his negative mood.

"Marina...!" Dr. Finkelstein uttered. "Don't be ridiculous!"

Marina smirked. "I can't marry him, Daddy. It's true. You know why? Because...he's _already married_."

"What?.!.?" Frederick stood up in shock from his seat, as did Patricia, though she was trying to calm him down. "Jack! Explain this, right now!"

Jack faced his parents with no hesitation or nervousness. "It's true, Father. Mother. I am already married."

"To who?" Patricia wanted to know, though she had a feeling of what the answer would be.

"He's married to my sister. Sally." Marina spoke out, looking over at her Maid of Honour with a smile. "Come over here, Sally."

Gulping a bit, Sally nodded and stepped over to them nervously. Marina smiled more and stepped aside, squeezing her shoulder. Jack stepped over then, bringing his arm around Sally and holding her close, facing his parents and everyone else.

"Just as Marina said, I am indeed married to this wonderful woman right here, Sally." Jack said firmly, bringing his other hand to her shoulder, the other coursing around her waist. "Sally is my wife. We eloped two nights ago. Elder Gutnecht married us in a chapel within the Hinterlands."

"Bonejangles and myself were witnesses." Emily chimed in, stepping over toward the couple. "And we have the documents to prove it."

Stepping forward, Bonejangles produced the documents from his jacket, and handed them to the King and Queen for them to read over. Once they had, he handed them to the Finkelsteins, and then the Mayor.

"Ol' Emily, sweet chickadee's speakin' the truth." Bonejangles confirmed. "My cousin here's married to the pretty rag doll gal."

"Well..." The Mayor said, looking up from the documents. "The documentations check out. Jack and Sally are indeed married."

"Jack..." Frederick began, his expression unreadable.

"Oh..." Patricia held a hand to her mouth.

"Mother, Father." Jack addressed his parents. "I will not lie. I love this woman, Sally is the one I wish to be with. Marina, though I do care about her and have and always will treasure our friendship, she is not the one I love. We do not love each other. It has been this way ever since we met. We have always had this understanding and it has worked for us. This entire arrangement was nothing more than appeasing you and her parents." His expression grew firmer then as he held Sally closer. "Whether you like it or not, Sally is my wife and I love her. I am her husband, and she loves me, too. Neither of this was forced, it was completely mutual. All my afterlife, my choices and decisions have been done for the good of legacy, but today, I am making a choice for me as a man. And I choose my heart, which is Sally. If I have to abdicate the throne, then so be it. Nothing, and I mean _nothing_ will stop me from being with her. While I am being selfish, I do not care anymore. I love Sally more than anything in this world, and I refuse to let her go. We are married, and I will fight to the end to keep us together."

Frederick and Patricia were shell-shocked, unable to believe this. Jack had not only stood up to them, but he was also not at all willing to let Sally go. Even if it meant abdicating the throne. They could see just how serious he was about it all. He was married to another woman, he had gone behind their backs and not only had an affair with this woman while engaged, but also then _married_ her just two days before the wedding day. A part of them couldn't help but feel furious at how he had lied, betrayed, and snuck around like he had.

"If you are to punish anyone for this," Jack went on, surprising everyone. "Then punish me, and leave Sally out of it. I take full responsibility for my actions. I lied, I snuck around, and I even saw another woman while I was engaged to Marina. In the big picture, that was the wrong and selfish thing for me to do. For that, I am sorry. Very sorry. But I am not sorry for falling in love, and for being with Sally. That is something I do not regret in the least. And while I accept punishment and take responsibility, I still stand by what I said. Nothing will keep me from Sally. Separating us, I tell you now, will do you no good."

"Jack...wait...I'm responsible for this, as well." Sally spoke out softly.

A tender, sweet smile came to Jack's face then as he looked at his wife. "Don't worry, Sally. I'll handle this."

"How COULD you!" Dr. Finkelstein roared angrily. "You have done it this time, you wretched girl! You took away Marina's moment, all because of your selfish-"

"DADDY!" Marina screamed in rage. "I have HAD IT to here with you always getting so mad and raging at Sally! WHAT...I mean, WHAT, has she EVER done to you? You remember what I said, didn't you? About how you resent Sally because she's not like me, because she's not your legitimate second child? Well guess what? That is NO reason to treat her so bad! You just wanted a clone of me! Well, I'm glad she isn't a clone! We don't need another me in this town, or in this family! Sally is my sister, and YOUR daughter, whether you like it or not! And she's married to Jack, the one I was supposed to marry! So you better just accept it, you old codger! Enough with this stupidity! Ever since Sally has met Jack, and ever since she was with him, she has been happier than I've ever seen her. And another thing, too! Sally wasn't the only one having a secret love affair! I was, too. Yes, that's right, I was seeing someone else, long before I was even engaged to Jack! I was afraid to tell you because of the consequences, but you know what? I'm not scared anymore. Spencer Brahms is the man I love. Yes, Spencer, one of the bartenders at the Black Cauldron! He is my best friend and has been my lover for the past few years! And furthermore-"

That was when Sally gently took hold of her arm. "Marina...may I say something to our father?"

Blinking, Marina grinned. "Sure thing, Sal. Go right ahead."

"Thank you." Sally went over to her parents, who were still stricken with what Marina had said. "There is something I want to say...to both of you. ...I am in love with Jack, and I married him. Marina knew all of this, and she understood. There was no lying or deceit with anyone involved. I can't help that we fell in love and wanted to be together. I am sorry for sneaking around, and for infringing on an engagement. I too, take full responsibility for my actions. You are both not cruel, and I know that far well. However, I didn't..." She hesitated.

Jack squeezed her shoulder, smiling at her encouragingly. Marina did as well, giving her a thumbs up.

Nodding, Sally looked back at the Finkelsteins. "I didn't appreciate the way you two treated me. But you're still family...you are still my parents, and I do love you both. I do not hate you, and I would never hold a grudge. You're the only parents I've had, and I...I know deep down there is a lot of love and good in you. I just want you to understand that. I am with Jack, and I will not give him up. I am working hard for this marriage. Even if you lock me away in my room or banish me to some other place, I will be back." She stood straight then, waiting for their responses.

Dr. Finkelstein and Jewel looked at each other, squeezing their hands, before looking back at his creation.

"...Let her go, dear." Jewel said.

"...Fine then. She's all yours, my boy." Dr. Finkelstein muttered gruffly. "...Just be happy. You both have my blessing."

Sally beamed, and for the first time ever, threw her arms around him in a hug. "Thank you, Daddy!" She said happily. It was also the first time she had ever addressed him as her father.

No one except Jewel and Marina saw the little smile on Dr. Finkelstein's face, clearly feeling pretty happy.

"All right, all right, let go!" Dr. Finkelstein wiggled from her grasp. "Now go, before I change my mind."

Giggling, Sally nodded and returned to her husband's side. Marina smiled gratefully, uttering a soft thank-you to her mother and father.

Jack then felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked to his mother and father standing there.

"Son...we're sorry." Frederick said honestly. "If this is what you truly want, we cannot stop you. You are old enough to make your own decisions, and if you wish to be married to Sally, there is nothing we can do. I have felt true love first hand, and I can see more than ever, that what you and Sally have is indeed, true love."

"We hope you will understand that we had absolutely no intentions of hurting you." Patricia said softly. "And we do not hate Sally. We never have. We...had only been doing what we thought was right. But now we see, that holding you back from what you truly want, is a mistake. We're sorry."

A warm smile came to Jack's face, and hugged his parents. "Thank you, Mother, Father. I'm very glad you understand."

Frederick smiled, and then turned to the rag doll. "Sally. Please come here, and kneel before us."

Confused, Sally did as she was told. She stepped over to them, and then knelt down before them on one knee.

Patricia smiled as she patted her head, removing the wreath from her hair, and then turned to her husband, nodding to him. Frederick nodded as well, and then reached for the Princess tiara sitting on a burgundy velvet pillow, and held it up.

"From this day forward, with the power invested in me, I, King Frederick Skellington, hereby crown you, Sally Skellington...Princess of the Kingdom of the Undead."

"From this day forward, with the power invested in me, I, Queen Patricia Skellington, hereby crown you, Sally Skellington...Princess of the Kingdom of the Undead."

"Do you accept this?"

Sally looked up in shock, unable to respond, but nodded.

Frederick smiled, and then gently placed the tiara onto her head, securing it safely. "It is done. Arise, Princess Sally."

Managing to stand, Sally could not believe this. Not only could she still stay married to Jack, but she was actually crowned as the Princess. She was speechless, and even felt a jolt as Jack came behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"It's official, you're my Princess now, Sally..." Jack whispered into her ear.

Sally beamed happily, embracing her husband with so much love, then turning to the King and Queen, and said earnestly, "_Thank you_."

The crowd all cheered happily, whistling and hooting. The Mayor wiped his tears with a handkerchief. Bonejangles and Emily both looked on with big smiles. Marina was in tears as well, so happy that this had worked out for them all, and that her sister could be happy with the man she loved.

Jack stepped up then, smiling toward a certain someone. "By the way, this is one more thing, everyone. As you can see, this wedding is still set up and in quite progress...and it would be quite a shame for it all to go to waste, wouldn't it? And Marina is still in her lovely wedding dress. So, I think... Spencer, come over here."

From his place, Spencer stepped over toward Marina. He knelt down before her on one knee, and produced a small box, which contained a modest, but beautiful diamond ring.

"Marina, this may seem sudden, but even I'm ready to no longer hold back. I love you with all my undead heart. Your friendship, your _love_, over the years, has been a far greater joy to me than I could have ever imagined. You've been there for me in my toughest times, you're the one I trust the most, the one I feel I can share the deepest part of myself, share secrets...and well, I'm not so good at this, but here goes. I may not be able to give you all the luxuries in the world, even if you do deserve them by a longshot...all I can give you is my love, and my eternal devotion. I sincerely hope it will be enough. You are my sunshine, my greatest treasure, and I love you. ...Marina Annabelle Finkelstein, will you do me the honour of being my bride?"

Marina was shocked, having not expected this to happen at all. She had been more than ready and content to simply cancel this whole event, and then be able to love and be with Spencer freely. But this? All of this? She looked at Jack, who winked at her. Then back at Spencer, who was looking up at her nervously, but expectantly. Tears coursed down her face, and she nodded a few times. "Yes...yes...I-I will, Spencer...my love...I will! YES!"

Spencer beamed, and then slid the ring onto her finger, standing back up. The moment he did, Marina threw herself at him in a hug. When they leaned in to share a kiss, the Mayor stopped them.

"Now now! You can do that in a minute! Places everyone! We still have a wedding to proceed!" The Mayor chortled.

There was laughter, and everyone returned to their places. So with that, the wedding continued, only now, the married of Spencer and Marina.

"So do you, Spencer, take this woman to be your wife, to have and to hold, for all time?"

Spencer smiled lovingly at his new bride, nodding. "I do."

"Do you, Marina, take this man to be your husband, to have and to hold, for all time?"

Marina beamed, nodding. "I do."

"Wonderful! With the power invested in me, and all of Halloween town, I now pronounce you both husband and wife, Mr. And Mrs. Brahms! You may now kiss the bride!" The Mayor grinned, closing his book.

With a grin, Spencer mouthed "I love you" to Marina before he swept her up into his arms and kissed her for all that she was worth. The crowd cheered and applauded, and even the Finkelstein parents were having trouble from tearing up. Jack and Sally both clapped the hardest, truly happy that Marina was able to find her happiness in all of this as well, especially after all that she had done for them. When Spencer and Marina separated, they proceeded to happily walk down the aisle, hand-in-hand, while the guests all threw pumpkin seeds. Everyone followed them outside as they walked down the Town Hall steps, and headed right for the horse-drawn wagon.

Grinning, Marina turned around, her back facing the crowd of women behind her, and tossed the bouquet. All the ladies fought for it, only for Emily to catch it. She blinked in surprise, having not expected to catch it. Bonejangles then shimied up beside her, wiggling his figurative eyebrows.

"Heeeeeyy..." He said, grinning.

Emily blushed and looked away, giggling.

Before leaving, Marina rushed over to her sister, giving her a big hug.

"Thank you so much for everything, sis!" Marina cooed happily, burying her face in her sister's shoulder.

"No...thank _you_, Marina...you've done so much for me and for Jack..." Sally murmured, hugging her sister tightly.

"Oh, shush! This is your big day too, _Princess_ Sally!" Marina giggled and pulled away too. "You're a Princess now! That's amazing!"

"Nowhere near as amazing as being married to Jack." Sally giggled.

"I knew you'd say that." Marina giggled again, and kissed her sister on both cheeks. "I'll see you when I get back!"

"Have a good honeymoon, Marina. And I hope you'll be happy." Sally smiled, wiping her eyes.

"Now that I'm married to my real true love, I will be. And I know you will be, too." Marina kissed her on the forehead and let her go. She went over to Jack and gave him a hug too. "See you, Jack! You take good care of my sister!"

Jack chuckled and hugged her back. "I will, Marina. I promise. You have a good honeymoon, and make sure Spencer takes care of you."

"You got it, brother-in-law!" She grinned. "Thanks for everything, Jack. You've been a great pal."

"Oh no, I should be thanking you, Marina. You'd done so much for Sally and I, I don't know how I can possibly repay you." Jack smiled more.

"You did when you had Spencer come up and ask me to marry him, Jack! Thank you for that! It was great that the wedding could still go on!"

"I thought so, too." Jack released her. "Now you go, your husband is waiting. My sister-in-law."

Marina laughed. "See you later, bone man!" She then dashed down the steps to join her new husband in the wagon.

Sally came up next to Jack, bringing her arms around him in a side hug, laying her head on his shoulder. "You did do a wonderful thing, Jack...by letting the wedding proceed, with Marina marrying Spencer...just as she always wanted."

"It seemed perfect." Jack smiled lovingly at her as he brought his arms around her too. "Marina deserved it anyway, after all she did for us."

"That's very true." Sally agreed, beaming. "I'm so glad we came out of this well."

"We did, didn't we? We told the truth, and didn't let anything hold us back any longer, and in the end...you and I are together and still married, Marina got to marry Spencer..." Jack then looked to see Bonejangles and Emily walking off together, holding hands. "And I think Emily will finally be the next bride."

"I think so, too." Sally giggled.

Grinning more, Jack released his wife and held her hand. "Why don't we go get your belongings from your home, and then we'll go home, together."

Beaming, Sally nodded. "I'd love that, Jack. ...And...well, perhaps tonight..." She blushed a bit, looking away.

Jack raised a figurative eyebrow, and smirked a bit. "Oh...my Sally wants a little something tonight, does she? Well, it will be our first night, truly as husband and wife, in our home, our bed..."

"Jack!" Sally blushed heavily, covering her mouth with her free hand.

Laughing, Jack scooped up his wife in his arms and dashed down the town hall steps, heading back into town.


	18. Epilogue

**Well folks, this is it. The epilogue. The final chapter. :( Well, it kind of sucks putting this story to rest, but, it was sure fun. :D**

**So, first off, I want to thank anonymous reviewer Sarah, a Nameless TNBC Fan, and of course hyperlutz21 for being such loyal reviewers! :) And of course to everyone else who has reviewed, thank you so much!**

**This is it too! It's all over!**

**Will I write a sequel? I don't know. Probably not. If I get an idea for one, MAYBE. But all the loose ends are really tied, there isn't much else I can do.**

**Now, if any of you guys have a prequel, sequel or spinoff, whatever, you go right ahead because you have my permission. :)**

**I know this is short, but that's intentional. **

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><p>Four years had passed since the fated events took place. Four years since the original arranged marriage between Jack and Marina, Jack and Sally's secret love affair, and then the most epic wedding to happen in a long time.<p>

Spencer and Marina were married, and already had a newborn baby together, a little girl that they named Samantha. The two of them lived in a quaint, gothic home in town, not far off from the Black Cauldron, where Spencer continued to work as a bartender. Marina had a nice job of her own, she was Public Relations assistant for the Mayor, which was a job she really had gotten into. Of course, now that she had a baby, she was taking some time off for a while. Samantha was five months old now, and just a little angel! Her grandparents, and grandmother, all loved to spoil her so much.

Jack and Sally were of course still married, and still very much in love with each other. Not just that, but the year before, Frederick and Patricia decided it was high time to retire, and soon, Jack and Sally were crowned the new King and Queen. They were now King and Queen of the Kingdom of the Undead, the Pumpkin King and Queen. While it was quite a responsibility, they could not possibly have been happier.

On top of that, Emily and Bonejangles were soon getting married! They had dated for three years, and were now set to get married in a few months. Both couples still remained good friends with them, and were invited to be in the wedding party, which they all happily agreed to. Marina and Sally were to be bridesmaids, Jack was the best man, and Spencer was a groomsman. The wedding was to take place in about six months, and was going to be quite an extravaganza, since the infamous corpse bride was _finally_ getting married for good, especially to someone who wasn't like the dreaded Barkis.

What happened to him? Well, shortly after his torment of poor Sally, and those other women, Jack took action against him. He rounded up the previous girls, and they gladly took him down like a pack of lions. No one ever saw him again after that.

Needless to say, everyone involved was happy now. Even Dr. Finkelstein and Jewel were happy. Yes, the Lord doctor was still a gruff and didn't admit to how he felt sometimes, but he did treat Sally a lot better and truly considered her as his daughter. Their relationship was far better than it had ever been. It wasn't perfect, but it was a lot better than before.

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><p>"Are you ready, Sally?" Jack peered into their bedroom, seeing his wife brushing her hair in front of the mirror.<p>

"Yes, Jack. I'm just brushing my hair." Sally smiled, looking over at him.

"Splendid!" Jack went over and stood behind her, taking the brush from her and brushing out her hair. He grinned as he heard her giggling. He loved brushing her hair, and she certainly liked it too. "You look beautiful, darling..."

Sally giggled again, smiling widely as she looked at his reflection in the mirror. "Thank you, Jack...you look very dapper yourself."

"You're too sweet, Sally." Jack chuckled, shaking his head.

"Jack...there's something I wanted you to know, before we see everyone." Sally said softly, and turned around as he finished brushing her hair.

"What is it, my Sally? Tell me." Jack smiled, cocking his skull curiously.

"Well...I..." Sally took his hand, and placed it onto her stomach. She held it there, and then looked at him with a smile.

Jack blinked, a little confused at first. But then, realization struck him like a bolt of lightning, and his eye sockets went wide. Jaw-dropped, he looked from her stomach to her face, and said, "...Sally...you mean...you're...?"

Sally smiled more and nodded. "Yes. I am, Jack. ...I'm going to have a baby."

There was a dead silence in the room.

That is until Jack broke into the biggest grin ever, and pulled Sally to him, lifting her up off the floor and twirling her, making her squeal in surprise.

"_Sally!_ Oh, Sally! This is splendid! Wonderful! Amazing! Oh Sally, we're going to have a baby! A child of our own! A manifestation of our very love!" Jack cried with happiness, and set her down, before dipping her and kissing her deeply. Pulling away, he straightened her, embracing her. "Oh Sally, _I love you!_"

Sally giggled and embraced him back, feeling utterly joyous herself. "I love you too, Jack! I'm so happy..."

"Me too, my darling Sally...! My tempting, dark, beautiful Queen!" In an instant Jack swept her up into his arms, grinning at her. "Now we have some wonderful news to tell them, don't we?"

"We certainly do, Jack...I can't wait to tell them." Sally clasped her hands around his neck, beaming at him.

"Off we go then, my love!" And with that, Jack dashed out of the room with his beloved in his arms, heading downstairs to see their friends and in-laws for dinner that night.

**THE END! :D**


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